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Thread: make it rain

  1. #1
    Eartha is offline Member
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    Default make it rain

    Dear all,

    How should I understand "make it rain" in the following sentence?

    I knew the phrase was used metaphorically here, but ....Can anyone give me further enlightenment?

    Thanks in advance.

    Eartha

    You know a good deal when you see it, but it's not aways easy to make it rain.
    When you want to turn a drizzle into a thunderstorm, you need powerful intelligence.

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    Tdol is offline Editor, UsingEnglish.com
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    Default Re: make it rain

    I suppose they mean that creating something successful is like trying to control the weather, but it's an odd sentence. Is there more context? One thing that's strange is the way it uses make it rain in the first sentence, then goes on to develop the idea to explain it, and rain often has a negative connotation, not an obvious association with success, so has the idea been mentioned earlier in the text?

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    Ouisch's Avatar
    Ouisch is offline Moderator
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    Default Re: make it rain

    Is this from a rap or hip-hop song by any chance? In urban slang "make it rain" means throwing a big stack of money up into the air and letting it fall down.

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    SoothingDave is offline Key Member
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    Default Re: make it rain

    http://www.amazon.com/How-Become-Rai...s/dp/078686595

    A "rainmaker" is someone who is successful at sales. He brings in the "rain" meaning business. His efforts are as important as the rain is to agriculture.

    See:

    rainmaker - Wiktionary for various definitions of the term.

    The author of the excerpt seems to be stretching the metaphor.
    Tdol and Eartha like this.

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    Tdol is offline Editor, UsingEnglish.com
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    Default Re: make it rain

    Quote Originally Posted by Ouisch View Post
    Is this from a rap or hip-hop song by any chance? In urban slang "make it rain" means throwing a big stack of money up into the air and letting it fall down.
    A very useful term.

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