poor man's weatherglass
- noun
- UK
:
pimienta roja
- If the flowers of the poor man's weatherglass are closed, it means wet weather is coming.
Examples
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The poor man's weatherglass opens its flowers when the sun is shining, signaling fair weather.
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Farmers used the poor man's weatherglass to predict rain before modern forecasts existed.
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The poor man's weatherglass is often found growing wild in country gardens.
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The poor man's weatherglass blooms in vibrant colors.
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Have you seen a poor man's weatherglass before?
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Farmers often rely on the poor man's weatherglass to forecast rain based on its flower behavior.
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A garden filled with poor man's weatherglass can indicate upcoming rain when the flowers are closed.
Synonyms
A low plant with small red, white, or purple flowers that close before rain
A small garden flower with red petals that close before rain
A small plant with bright red, white, or purple flowers that close when rain comes
Surface Forms
Morphology
poor + man's + weatherglass
The phrase follows the productive English pattern 'poor man's X' meaning a cheap or folk substitute for X, so a learner who knows 'poor', 'man' and 'weatherglass' can infer it denotes a low‑cost/weather indicator. The herb's behavior as a natural alternative to a weather instrument is a directly compositional inference rather than an idiomatic shift.
Etymology
The name poor man's weatherglass comes from a small wild herb whose bright flowers close when rain is coming. People used the plant as a cheap way to 'predict rain', so that's why the name means a simple, low-cost weather predictor.
