Some are very common . For example , I'm sure that most of you have heard the expression "raining cats and dogs ." We use it when it is raining very , very hard . In other words , when it is pouring ! Now , we have another useful expression about hard rain : "When it rains , it pours !" This means that when something bad happens , other bad things usually happen at the same time . We often use this saying after someone describes a lot of bad things , one after the other , like in this example . Boy , my sister is really having a hard time these days . First , someone stole her car . Then she broke her arm in a biking accident and a falling tree cut a hole in her house – all in one week ! That is one unlucky week . You know what they say : When it rains , it pours . When using this expression , know that it can be helpful in any situation . You can say it to your best friend or to your employer . Also , we often say it in a sing-song way , like this – “When it rains … it pours .” Now , the Merriam-Webster dictionary says that English speakers use this idiom for a series of bad things . However , other websites say you can also use it to describe many good things . While I have heard it used to describe many good things , more often than not , the "rain " in this expression represents bad things . So , even though we mostly use "When it rains , it pours " for bad situations , you can also use it in good ones . However , we only use the next one in bad times . If a person is under a cloud , they are thought to have done something bad or dishonorable . A person might even be under a certain type of cloud , such as a cloud of suspicion . If you are living under a cloud of suspicion , other people believe that you have done something wrong . But , we use this expressions for companies and organizations as well – not just people . For example , currently many scandals surround some women's gymnastic organizations and some universities in the United States . They are under a cloud of suspicion . However , if you add a few extra words to the phrase , the meaning changes greatly . If I am living under a dark cloud , it means I am depressed and sad all the time . We can make this phrase even more descriptive by saying "living under the dark cloud of depression " or "living under the dark cloud of poverty ." So , you see -- there are different types of dark clouds you can live under . But even people for people living under a dark cloud , there is hope . There is always hope . And that brings us to our last expression : Every cloud has a silver lining . This expression means there is always something hopeful in even the most difficult or unhappy situation . A silver lining on a cloud shows that the sun is behind it . Even a really terrible , bad event may produce something happy or hopeful . For example , let's say a friend of yours is in a car crash . She is not badly hurt but her car is too damaged to fix . When the tow truck driver comes to take her car off the road , she starts talking to him . They find out that they share a love of old cars . So , they plan to meet the following weekend at a car show . Soon they become great friends . When she tells this story to her friends and family , they often say the same thing : Every cloud has a silver lining !