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Glite Dictionary
mackerel sky

mackerel sky

8.9
A sky covered with rows of small rippled clouds that look like fish scales
  • noun
  • /ˈmækərəl skaɪ/
translation icon : cielo de mackerel
  • I admired the mackerel sky, noting how the clouds resembled the markings on the fish's back.

Examples

  • The mackerel sky was filled with vibrant patterns of cirrocumulus clouds.

  • Fall came, and with it the mackerel sky.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Yes… it's a mackerel sky.

    Plenty (1985)

  • A mackerel sky.

    Plenty (1985)

  • A mackerel sky…

    Plenty (1985)

  • As the sun set, the mackerel sky painted a beautiful backdrop for the evening.

Synonyms

altocumulus
vsmackerel sky
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A white or gray cloud that looks like small rounded patches at medium height in the sky

is the sky pattern term when those rolls appear in repeating rows
cirrocumulus cloud
vsmackerel sky
  • Specialized
7.8

A small, thin white cloud high in the sky that looks like tiny ripples

describes a sky fully covered by rows of such cloudlets or small mid clouds
cirrocumulus
vsmackerel sky
  • Specialized
9.9

High white clouds that look like small ripples or patches in rows across the sky

is used when the entire sky shows these rows or small mid clouds
altocumulus cloud
vsmackerel sky
  • Specialized
7.1

White or gray rounded cloud patches in the middle sky

is used when many of these small mid clouds create a sky pattern

How Cloudy

overcast sky
3 2.5
cloudiness
2 2.1
mackerel sky
8.9
cloudless
8 1.0

Surface Forms

mackerel sky singular
mackerel skies plural

Morphology

mackerel + sky

The phrase names a sky that looks like a mackerel’s back — a straightforward noun+noun descriptive metaphor. A B1 learner who knows 'mackerel' and 'sky' can reasonably infer it refers to a sky with fish-like markings rather than an unpredictable idiomatic meaning.

Etymology

The term mackerel sky comes from the way high, rippled clouds look like the rows of scales on a mackerel fish. Sailors long ago used this pattern as a sign that 'rain' might be coming, so today mackerel sky means a sky covered with those rippled clouds and often warns of wet weather.