I have been feeling under the weather since Saturday (first time since I retired that I have been the least bit sick,but I am on the mend now) and that made me wonder where the phase "Under the Weather" came from. Since retiring in 2005 I have had the time to take things out and examine them at my leisure,which brings me to what I found.
Most people know that the phrase means not feeling well,or things aren't going well,or it can even indicate drunkenness. The origin seems to refer to seasickness,from the days when ocean passage was the only form of transportation between continents. In bad weather many passengers would get sick due to the rocking and rolling of the ship (hey! maybe this is really where rock and roll came from!). Passengers would go below deck to avoid the weather (I've always heard being below deck makes seasickness worse) and where the motion was less noticeable. Therefore they were under the weather.
Most people know that the phrase means not feeling well,or things aren't going well,or it can even indicate drunkenness. The origin seems to refer to seasickness,from the days when ocean passage was the only form of transportation between continents. In bad weather many passengers would get sick due to the rocking and rolling of the ship (hey! maybe this is really where rock and roll came from!). Passengers would go below deck to avoid the weather (I've always heard being below deck makes seasickness worse) and where the motion was less noticeable. Therefore they were under the weather.
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