Dear Tom,
What is the origin of the phrase "feeling under the weather"?
--Susan, Streamwood
Dear Susan,
The precise and undisputed origin of the phrase may be lost, but there are several possibilities to consider. Weather plays a great role in people's moods and well-being, and most people tend to be in a better mood on a bright, sunny day than on a gloomy or stormy one. Also many nagging ailments such as migraines and rheumatism tend to flare up more in inclement weather. A second possibility relates to sea travel. People become seasick when it is stormy and head below deck when they are "under the weather." The phrase may also relate to the nautical phrase "under the weather bow," a reference to the windward side of the ship that catches the brunt of the wind and high seas during a storm.
What is the origin of the phrase "feeling under the weather"?
--Susan, Streamwood
Dear Susan,
The precise and undisputed origin of the phrase may be lost, but there are several possibilities to consider. Weather plays a great role in people's moods and well-being, and most people tend to be in a better mood on a bright, sunny day than on a gloomy or stormy one. Also many nagging ailments such as migraines and rheumatism tend to flare up more in inclement weather. A second possibility relates to sea travel. People become seasick when it is stormy and head below deck when they are "under the weather." The phrase may also relate to the nautical phrase "under the weather bow," a reference to the windward side of the ship that catches the brunt of the wind and high seas during a storm.
