Modul 4: Idiom 26: Under the Weather

Under the Weather

Hi. Let’s take a look at the Idiom, ‘Under the Weather.’ What does this mean? When somebody is  ‘Under the Weather’, it means that they are feeling unwell.

So what is the origin of this idiom?

This idiom refers to something *sailors would do when they felt sick. If a sailor on a boat was feeling unwell, they would go below the deck to the ‘bow’ – the front of the boat. They would go below deck because there they would be out of the rain, they would be warmer and less likely to feel worse by rough seas. So if a sailor was feeling ‘under the weather’, they would go below the deck where they were literally underneath the weather.

Take a look at our illustration.

Here we can see a sailor who is sitting below the bow of a boat. Outside, it is raining and the sea looks *rough. How does the man look? Does he look happy and energetic, or does he look unhappy? He looks unhappy because he is feeling sick. We know this because he is holding himself. It is better for him to be below deck rather than above deck where the weather is bad.

Here are some examples before we go to the concept questions…

“I was going to go shopping today, but I’m feeling a bit under the weather.”

“My brother caught a virus at school, and it spread around the family, so we are all under the weather.”

“Are you ok? You look a bit under the weather?”

“If you are feeling under the weather, then we don’t have to go out?”

“I’ve been under the weather ever since I got back from Greece. Maybe it’s something I ate?”

Great.

Let’s look at some situations and check your understanding:

1. Hannah was *vomiting all weekend but on Monday she was perfectly fine and went back to work. Was Hannah feeling under the weather when she returned to work? No. Hannah was under the weather at the weekend when she was ill.

2. You have been sitting at home *bored all day so you message your friend to ask them if they want to go to the pub with you. Your friend has just replied saying “I feel under the weather.” Do you think that this means they want to go to the pub, or that they don’t want to go to the pub? It means they probably don’t want to go to the pub because they are ill.

3. Imagine this. I get in from work, and I have a huge smile on my face. I go straight into the kitchen where I open the freezer and pull out a *tub of ice cream. I then walk into the *lounge, kick off my shoes and jump on the sofa. My partner then comes in and sees me laughing really loudly at something on the television as I shovel more ice cream into my mouth. She says to me “Hey, how are you?” Do you think she would be surprised if I replied “Hey! I’m feeling really under the weather, thanks for asking!”?  Yes. She would be surprised because I look well.

4. If you are feeling under the weather, is it a good idea to drink lots of water and get lots of sleep? 

Yes. When you are feeling under the weather, it is important to relax and eat and drink healthily. 

5. My boss wants me to go to a meeting for him because he is under the weather, but I haven’t attended any business meetings before, so I am quite *nervous. I have worked for him for a long time, and he trusts that I’ll be able to stay focused in the meeting and write lots of notes about it. Would it be better if he went to the meeting himself?

No. He is ill, so he wouldn’t be concentrating on the meeting. 

Great. Now go and practise. See you soon.