it never rains but it pours

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Attested as early as the early 18th century. The modern form of the expression first appeared in print as early as 1772. For quotations using this term, see Citations:it never rains but it pours.

Proverb

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it never rains but it pours

  1. Unfortunate events occur in quantity.
    Synonym: misfortunes never come singly

Coordinate terms

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Translations

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References

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  • Gregory Y. Titelman (1996) Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings, →ISBN, page 172