# What does ‘under the weather’ mean?

To “under the weather” means to feeling ill or unwell. A 19th-century nautical idiom: a sick sailor was sent below decks and thus 'under the weather' rail. Brewer's does not fix a single origin.

## What it means

- A 19th-century nautical idiom: a sick sailor was sent below decks and thus 'under the weather' rail. Brewer's does not fix a single origin.

## Action steps

1. Polite, mild way to say you're unwell.
2. Example: I'm a bit under the weather today — I'll stay home.

## Sources

- [Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — Internet Archive scan](https://archive.org/details/brewers-dictionary-of-phrase-and-fable)

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