Idiom
under the weather
Meaning
ill or gloomy, especially from a cold or flu.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“I'm feeling a bit under the weather today.”
“She stayed home from work because she was under the weather.”
“Having felt under the weather all week, he finally saw a doctor, who said the flu was going around the office.”
Examples
simple
“I'm feeling a bit under the weather today.”
contextual
“She stayed home from work because she was under the weather.”
complex
“Having felt under the weather all week, he finally saw a doctor, who said the flu was going around the office.”
Origin
Believed to be nautical: seasick or ill sailors were sent below deck, away from the weather; some sources cite the fuller phrase 'under the weather bow'.
Key words
Related idioms
- Level
- A2 · Elementary
- Updated