proverb · Words worth keeping
A wind from the south has rain in its mouth.
A wind from the south has rain in its mouth.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The rhyme gives a south wind rain in its mouth. It personifies a wind direction as carrying wet weather.
What the words are saying
The supplied port-and-starboard account does not directly explain the named south wind. A useful interpretation retains that mismatch instead of merging unrelated directional rules. No region, season or forecast interval is given, so the rhyme does not establish what a particular wind will bring.
Everyday example
A reader distinguishes the south-wind claim from the different boat-direction explanation in the gloss.
When to use it
Use it to explain a directional weather image with location uncertain.
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What it does not mean
No universal south-wind forecast or navigation instruction is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 629; PDF page 91
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.