# under the weather

Pronunciation: US say "UN-dur thuh WE-thur" /ˈʌndɚ ðə ˈwɛðɚ/; UK/AUS say "UN-duh thuh WE-thuh" /ˈʌndə ðə ˈwɛðə/

## Idiom

1. Ill or low in spirits, especially with a cold or flu.
   - Simple: A little sick, often with a cold or the flu.
   - _She sounded under the weather on the phone, so we moved the meeting._
   - _Half the office was under the weather by the end of January._
2. Mildly drunk, or ill the next day from the effects of heavy drinking.
   - Simple: A little drunk, or feeling bad after drinking too much.
   - _By the third toast the best man was distinctly under the weather._
   - _He turned up to the interview under the weather and smelling of last night._

## Idiom

3. Experiencing adversity, especially financial trouble. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: In old use, having bad luck or money trouble.
   - _The Hawkinses were under the weather just then, their land worth millions only on paper._
   - _A merchant under the weather could count on few friends on the exchange._

## Origin

From the phrase "under the weather bow," meaning affected by bad weather or seasick. "Weather bow" is a nautical term for the side of a ship exposed to bad weather.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/under-the-weather (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).