kuin Esterin perseestä

Finnish

Etymology

kuin (“like”) Esterin (“Esther's”) perseestä (“from ass”); of uncertain origin. Urban legend has it that "Esteri" was the Goddess of rain in pre-Christian Finland, but that's naturally false, as the name is of Biblical origin.

One possible source of the saying is the Esteri-branded water pumps used by firebrigades.

Phrase

1. (vulgar, idiomatic) A metaphor of heavy rain or sometimes also of heavy snowfall, used like cats and dogs in English.

   Sataa kuin Esterin perseestä jo kolmatta päivää peräkkäin!

   It's raining cats and dogs already for a third day in a row!

Synonyms

• kaatamalla
• kuin saavista kaataen