Raining cats and dogs

[Barnhart]

American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on Monday, January 24,
2005 at 1:24 PM -0500 wrote:
>
>The saying it's raining cats and dogs was first noted in the 17th
>century, not the 16th.

1738 Swift _A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation_
.....

But, compare:

[a1652 tr. J.F. Gmelin's Linnaeus' Syst. Nat. ... It shall raine .. Dogs
and Polecats.]

For what it's worth.

David K. Barnhart

barnhart at highlands.com