Re: Walking between the raindrops

Posted by Barney on February 08, 2002

In Reply to: Re: Reading between the raindrops posted by Word Camel on February 04, 2002

: : : : : : : I recently overheard someone use the phrase "here was a guy who could walk between the raindrops" to describe someone. What exactly does it mean, and is it common in some region?

: : : : : : I don't know if it's regional. I think it means the guy is really, really skinny.

: : : : : Or it could mean he's very graceful.

: : : : I always thought it meant he had some sort of divine protection. Kind of like saying he could walk on water.

: : : There are several entries for "skinny" in "This Dog'll Hunt: An Entertaining Texas Dictionary" by Wallace O. Chariton (Wordware Publishing, Piano, Texas, 1989, 1990). One is: "He's so skinny he would have to run around in a shower to get wet." Kind of similar to the phrase in question. I guess reading the phrase in context would help determine whether the guy was skinny, divine or graceful.

: : My husband offers another opinion: he thinks it means the guy is always lucky.

:
: I think it means he's agile. I keep picturing that some corporate "rain maker" who has come along and decided to rain restructuring down upon some poor company. Our hero anticipates the changes and nimbly adapts, emerging from the storm unscathed.

I have heard the expression, where it referred to a person who was so nimble of mind that he appeared to anticipate every eventuality and avoided all but those that brought benefit to himself.