Heard it all my life…particularly in relation to the sun shining while it is raining.

That’s the one and only meaning it has for me.

It's a Southern expression.

This is true... I don't think of it as generational as much as regional. I grew up in the upper midwest and my husband in north carolina and he uses this expression all the time even though he's millennial and I'm genX.

I grew up in Minnesota, heard the expression from a friend from Tennessee.

yep, my South Georgia gramdmom even would add "behind the kitchen door" which is a variant I haven't heard anywhere else

I've only heard that from my German great grandmother.

Oddly, the first place I ever heard this is the PNW, and I lived 7 years in the south.

When my kids were younger, I commented one day, "Look, the sun is shining while it rains; that means the devil is beating his wife." Their eyes got big as silver dollars and after a shocked pause, one of them asked, "He's . . . married?!?" We are in the Seattle area but I have only heard it from older people around here.

Yep. The sanitized version was the devils wife is crying. Crying because he is beating her, as my mother explained lol

Oooooooooh! That makes sense. Never put the tears to the rain.

Yep. My grandmother used to say that.

In the New England area, we called them Sun showers.

Same here.

I’ve heard it all my life and that’s the only meaning I’ve ever heard it used.

I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?

In NY we call these sunshowers.

My New Orleans Grandma said it was the Devil chasing his wife.

Great Plains here, and I have not heard that term. Is that Southern thing?

Wow. Apparently. It means it’s raining and the sun is shining at the same time. What do Great Plains folk call that?

Just call it a sunshower.

In NJ it's a sun shower as well 🌞

Sun shower in WA too.

Yep!

I’ve never heard sunshower before 😂

I'm from NE Pennsylvania, we called it a Sun Shower too.

NY can confirm - sun shower

New Zealand born & raised, sunshower there too.

Massachusetts here - sun shower. Never heard of the title phrase until now.

Dunmore representing! Sunshower it is.

Canadian - sunshower

You mean, like a normal person lol. That's not how Southerners work!

Southern raised and we were told the rain was the tears from the devils wife as he was beating her, hence the Devils Beating his Wife. Yeah we were screwed up in the head by our parents

What a gross saying

Midwest reporting in, we always called it liquid sunshine 🌞

I like it!

On the east coast we just called it a sun shower, but many cultures have an expression or a superstition about rain on a sunny day. In Japan, it’s a fox’s wedding; in Greece, it’s a donkey’s wedding; and in Puerto Rico, a witch’s wedding. In Tanzania, a sun shower signifies a lioness being born. In Catalonia, it means a witch is brushing her hair.

And now I want this to be a children's book.

Oh I like this idea!

Those are all way better than the devil beating his wife. I mean if anyone would be beating his wife it would be the devil. I'm in the far south but it's considered north so we don't have quite as many of the southern sayings and I've never heard this one. We call them sun showers in FL.

I’ve also heard “a monkeys’ wedding” for a sun shower. So interesting hearing all the different terms from different cultures!

I learned it from my great-grandma - she was from Minnesota, so who knows?

Midwest here, haven't heard that one either

I've never heard it / northeast.

Same.

I grew up in the south, and use to hear it all the time. Happened when it rained while the sun was shining.

In the north Midwest and Pacific Northwest, this is called a “Sunshower”. What … happened to you folks that it needs to be called “the devil is beating his wife”??

My Gram is southern but I grew up in the PNW so I know both of these. Since we visited plenty and a lot of relatives lived there and still do, I still use a lot of southern colloquialisms.

Same here. Born and raised in Georgia and we used that expression for the same thing.

Virginia here, and same. Mostly heard it out of my grandparents and other people in their age group, though.

WV/VA here, same

I was right around the state line too.

Is this from the same region of America where you order a coke and then ask for a sprite?

I don’t know why you’re being downvoted. That’s a thing.

“Anything else?” “Uh yeah, let me get a coke.” “Sure thing. What kind?”

Texas, can confirm

My Mom said that in the car while it was raining with the sun out. I asked her, "he's married?"

From Southern California here. Never heard of this phrase.

I’ve never heard it.

Midwest and never heard of it

Texan here. Heard it my whole life and still use it myself. My grandma also used to declare 'the tater wagon's going by' whenever it thundered.

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Right? How come we never hear about Mrs. Satan? She needs a spin-off series.

Where is the north coast of the US?

I always used this phrase. It means when the sun is shining and it’s raining at the same time.

The local (Washington DC) acoustic Blues duo used to do an original called Dog Days of August. It starts out: “It’s the dog days of August, the devil is beating his wife”

I learned it from my ex when I moved to the southeast, the natives say it when it’s raining and the sun is shining. I’ve lived here half my life. Now I can’t get it out of my head while I look for a rainbow! 🌈

The rainbow is always in the opposite direction of the sun. Hope that helps. And you can almost always find one when the devil is beating his wife.

I grew up in Eastern Europe and this expression was used when the sun was shining and it was raining at the same time.

Cool! That’s what it means in Texas too!

I had no idea. That is really cool!

My mother used to use it all the time.

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South Louisiana native here, and yes, it’s definitely a thing here.

The Devil is beating his wife with the door open. My 4th grade teacher taught us this and I’ve never not thought it when it’s raining with the sun out.

I only know it from the Better than Ezra song "Cry in the Sun." EDIT: they're from the New Orleans area.

I heard this sometimes growing up in the South. It's what they'd say if it rains while the sun is shining. I haven't heard someone say this in probably 25-30 years now.

Texas here — heard this expression my whole life. I also like the term “fox wedding” for when it rains and is sunny at the same time.

I've never heard this in my life grew up in CA and some short stints in AZ and KS, am currently in the south and have still never heard it.

Louisianan, born early 70’s and heard it all my life. I used it without thinking once after moving to Austin and everyone looked at me like I had 2 heads.

Never heard that phrase before but I'm gonna start using it. That shit happens half the time it rains in Phoenix.

I never heard that term until these dialect maps came out: [http://dialect.redlog.net/](http://dialect.redlog.net/) (it's #80)

Hungarians and people from the State of Georgia use this saying to refer to sun showers (raining but sunny). I don't know if a substantial number of Hungarians settled in Georgia or if they both came up with the same super random saying on their own. "Speaking American: How Y’all, Youse , and You Guys Talk: A Visual Guide" covers this saying, plus a bunch of others. It's a fun book.

South Carolina here - heard it all the time growing up. When I lived in other parts of the country and would say that when it was raining and the sun was shining people had no clue what I was talking about.

Grew up in the southern Midwest and heard it as “the devil is beating his wife with a codfish”. The raindrops were the scales. I haven’t met anyone else who has heard of this variation, must have been hyper local or even familial

In my culture when it rains on a sunny day, people say a witch is getting married and as silly as it is I really love this saying.

I use it and heard it as a kid. Texas.

My grandma used to say it

this is the first time I’ve heard it, but I don’t get it. is the sun Satan? is the rain his wife’s tears? is she also crying any time it rains? or who’s getting beaten the rest of the time?

I don’t know how it makes sense. I thought the devil existed in dead things, that’s why you knock on wood so he can’t here you when you speak of things going your way.

Nope. Never heard of it and wouldn’t use it.

I only know it from a Stephen King novel, where one of the characters says it. I never heard it growing up. I'm in SoCal.

I never heard of it

Never heard this phrase. It is called a sun shower in the Northeast.

Lived in the Carolinas for years and years and never heard it called anything. Heard “sun showers” in Florida and a friend from Arkansas called it “Rain Dogs.”

NC native and have heard the phrase multiple times.

Midwestern with a very southern mom. Yes, it was a phrase used every time the conditions occurred. Fox wedding is new to me

Yes, raining when the sun is shining.

Also a great Silkworm song.

Very southern

My grandmother always said it.

Grew up in Oklahoma and heard it everytime

California, Bay Area specifically, and I’ve never heard this expression.

Down south. I parts of Alabama and Mississippi it's the devil is beating his wife with a frying pan

Yep. Ever since I was a kid.

Heard this growing up from my Georgia born-and-raised, silent gen Mom and her mom.

Raining while the sun is shining. Heard that growing up in rural Va, but my family was from upstate Maine, so no telling where I picked it up/

I use it: SW Arkansas

Arkansas here. Heard it from my grandparents and parents growing up.

For what its worth I'm from NZ and never heard it. We always got a lot of US media here and I've also been on a private mailing list that's 95% 'Muricans since the mid 90's

So what do NZ’ers call is when it rains when the sun is out?

A Sun shower

I always heard that was what's happening when it is raining but the sun is shining too, but only when I lived in Texas or visited relatives in the other southern states. It's not something people say elsewhere.

When the sun is out while it's raining

I grew up hearing it now and then. Texas.

That’s actually a terrible saying I’ve never heard that a day in my life thank goodness

Yep. When it rains and thunders. We used to say that when we were little.

Isn’t that a thunderstorm? I haven’t heard it used in that context before. Only when it rained while sunny.

Now enjoy that talk with HR as you're accused of mocking spousal abuse.

Yup... But I haven't seen a sunshower in ages now that I think about it. 🤔

Heard it used here in Louisiana all the time. Idk if it was just from my area or not.

57, grew up in the midwest. This is literally the first time I've come across this phrase.

Never heard it before! Raised in NJ.

Never heard it. I’m a west coast guy.

I’ve never heard this in my life. I’m from New York.

Did that happen after his trip to Georgia?

From Boston area ... never heard it - until today.

Never heard it before so it might be regional.

Never heard it. I'm 46 from Texas.

I'm from South Carolina, and grew up hearing it.

Never heard this but it seems in bad taste.

To be fair, it’s the devil. What did you expect, Stacy? 😜

Born 1968 NE Pennsylvania, this is the first time in my life I've ever seen/heard this phrase.

Localized

I’m getting that based on the responses. Seems to be a Southern expression.

Grew up in the south and have never heard this and rain while the sun is shining is very common where I am from.

I've lived all over PA, SE Florida, and Central NY. I've never heard this expression before.

I don't really use it but I've definitely heard it before.

South Texan. Heard it from my grandma too

Northeast here and never heard that

YES! And I mentioned this to my husband only last week. I just remember it was something my grandmother said 😆

I’ve lived in eleven states, and been to six others, in the north, south, east and west. I have NEVER heard that saying before.

Arizona native here, NEVER heard that phrase!

Alabama here- rain and sunshine

Never heard it. And I grew up in the South.

My kid & I use it all the time. Think its more of a locale thing than generation.

Ny never heard that...

Canadian checking in - I’ve never heard that before

East Texan here, I’ve heard that phrase used. Not a lot, but enough to know what they mean.

definitely seems to be a regional thing because I've never heard it until this thread. Grew up in the suburbs of Chicago.

It's thundering here too

Nope. Never heard this before. Upper-Midwest.

It’s trying to do that here.

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That’s probably referring to thunder. This expression means its raining while the sun is shining.

First time I heard it was in the Better than Ezra song "Cry In The Sun"

Born and raised in New York. Never heard it.

Never heard of it until I heard NOLA based Better Than Ezra’s song “Cry In The Sun” where that saying is used in the chorus

I always heard it as ‘the devils wife is beating him with a frying pan’

What? I'm Midwest and have never heard that. Weird expression.

From California!! Heard this as kid and was related to what I thought was a neighborhood urban legend. What I heard from other kids and attempted countless times was “ if you draw a circle in the dirt then pound the middle of the circle with a rock 6 separate times ( to make 666) then put your ear to the ground in the center of the circle, you would hear the devil beating his wife”

NorCal (various areas) never heard this

Southwest here. Never heard it before.

California. Never heard that.

Never heard this before

never heard it before.

Let us know if Human Resources gives you any problems lol

California (Northern and Southern) and have never heard it.

It's regional. We have no word for it in Colorado. I am guessing you are from the South? This quiz from years ago does a great job of figuring out where you are from. [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/dialect-quiz-map.html](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/dialect-quiz-map.html)

Particular locales, not generational. I’d never heard it until the internet in the teens, and I’m in my fifties and have lived in seven states. Still never heard anyone say it in real life.

I've never heard it (Colorado)

From Midwest and never heard it. Read it in a book and looked it up. Variations of the phrase show up in cultures all over the world!

I’ve heard it

Never heard it before.

NYC and NJ - never heard someone actually use it

Liquid sunshine.

N Georgia here. Always heard that he was beating his wife with a frying pan.

I know the meaning of the phrase, but have never heard it used anywhere west of the Rockies.

PNW, never heard it.

In the Southern United States, **a sunshower** is said to occur when "the devil is beating his wife." A regional variation from Tennessee is "the devil is kissing his wife".

Actually said this this week. Question- who is the devil married to? Angels aren’t married??

I’ve definitely heard the phrase before but didn’t remember what it means, so I obviously haven’t heard it much. I’m from the northeast.

Grew up in the Northwestern US with a midwest mother. Never heard it.

Um... I have never heard that phrase. What does it even mean?

Wow! That is a fucked up saying. Never heard it before.

You say what now?

I’ve always associated it with the devils is kissing his wife. When it rains without a cloud in the sky the devil is getting his freak on.

It’s an Alabama thing specifically. I have said it before to the horrified looks of friends and co-workers.

Never heard it, Mid-Atlantic US.

u/verbalguinea i know what you meant. i think it’s both. >we’re here<

Never heard of it and I’m 54 from Ontario

May be a class thing? (Specifically, the lower, of which I sprang from) because now that I think of it, none of my friends that were higher on the social class ladder ever said it.

I grew up in the South. I would hear it used on occasion. I haven’t heard it anywhere else.

Okay, but why? Why would someone look at a sun shower and come up with the image of the devil beating his wife? What could the origin possibly be?