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Nature and weather idioms: Phrazle Nature

Every phrase in this category is about the weather, plants or places outdoors. Six guesses, endless puzzles.

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Idioms about nature and weather

This category covers phrases about the world outdoors: weather such as rain, storms, wind, snow and sunshine; plants, trees, flowers, seeds and grass; and places such as forests, hills, rivers, the sea and the road. In these idioms a storm usually means trouble, sunshine means good times, a seed means a small beginning and a tree means family or growth.

Nature idioms go back to a time when the weather decided whether a family would eat. Farmers and sailors watched the sky every day, and much of their experience was kept in short sayings that were easy to repeat. Some of that weather lore is still roughly right; the rest survives because the pictures are so vivid. Plants gave English its language of growth: roots, branches, seeds and fruit are still how we talk about families, ideas and results.

All puzzles on this page are nature and weather phrases. Words such as RAIN, SUN, WIND, TREE, STORM and SEA are good letters to test when the word lengths fit.

Nature and weather idioms and what they mean

None of these examples is used as a puzzle, so reading them will not spoil a game.

  • Red sky at night, sailor's delight: a red sunset promises good weather tomorrow. In the middle latitudes, weather mostly moves from west to east, so a clear western sky at sunset often means a fine day ahead.
  • April showers bring May flowers: a hard time can lead to something good. It is an old English rhyme about the spring rain that makes gardens bloom.
  • Can't see the forest for the trees: so focused on small details that you miss the larger picture. In British English the same idea is "can't see the wood for the trees".
  • Great oaks from little acorns grow: large things start from small beginnings. An oak tree can live for centuries, yet it grows from a nut that fits in your hand.
  • The apple doesn't fall far from the tree: children are often like their parents. Similar sayings exist in many languages, including German and Russian.
  • Grassroots: ordinary people, rather than leaders, as in a grassroots campaign. The roots of grass are the base everything else grows from.
  • Snowball: to grow faster and faster. A snowball rolled downhill picks up more snow with every turn.
  • Brainstorm: to collect ideas quickly in a group. It once meant a sudden fit of madness; in the 1940s an advertising executive gave it its modern meaning.

Nature and weather idioms FAQ

Is old weather lore ever right?

Sometimes. "Red sky at night" works fairly well in places where weather comes from the west, because a red evening sky means dry air on its way. Many other sayings are only pictures, kept because they are easy to remember rather than because they are true.

What kinds of phrases count as nature in this category?

Weather, plants, trees and flowers, landscapes such as fields and forests, and places such as hills, rivers, the sea and the road. Phrases that are mainly about animals have their own Animals category.

Does the Nature category have its own statistics?

Yes. Every category keeps its own games played, win percentage, streak and guess distribution. Playing here never changes your Daily statistics or your Daily streak.