Lightening and Thunderstorm Idioms and Phrases with Meanings and Example Usage in Simple English Sentences
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Lightening and thunderstorm idioms are common in the English language, and native speakers use them often when talking about the weather or life events.
Expressions like a bolt from the blue or steal someone’s thunder make your English vocabulary stronger and help you sound more like a native English speaker.
This guide will help you learn English idioms about rain in a simple way.
THUNDER IDIOM EXAMPLES
- A bolt from the blue – a sudden, unexpected event
- Black as thunder – looking very angry
- Blood and thunder – sensationalism, drama, excitement
- Face like thunder – looking extremely angry
- Flash Harry – someone showy, flashy, trying to impress
- Flash in the pan – a sudden success that quickly fails
- Flash the cash – openly show off wealth
- Gone in a flash / In a flash / Like a flash – very quickly
- Lightning in a bottle – a rare, almost impossible success
- Lightning never strikes twice – a rare event is unlikely to happen again
- Like greased lightning – extremely fast
- Steal someone’s thunder – take attention or praise away from someone
see our free infographic below for the amount of rainfall
We include both idioms and expressions that are not idioms
There are many expressions relating to the level of a storm especially in English. Here are some of these phrases in an image and infographic free to download if you wish. Enjoy!
We will also include free downloads and plan to offer a great e-book with insights to how native speakers use these rain idioms.
What is a Thunderstorm?
Simple
- A thunderstorm is a storm with thunder and lightning
- Lightning is a big flash of light
- Thunder is the loud sound during a lightening strike
- Flash is the visible light during a lightening strike
Advanced
- A thunderstorm is a storm (an atmospheric disturbance) that produces lightning, which in turn causes thunder.
- Lightning is a massive natural spark of electricity that occurs between clouds, or between a cloud and the ground.
Flash Lightening and ThunderStorm Idioms Meanings, Examples and Origins
definition, example sentence, origin
This list includes idioms related to lightening and thunderstorm idions with their meanings, origin and example sentences. Here are the phrases in alphabetical order
A bolt from the blue
- Something very surprising or unexpected
- Her sudden resignation was a bolt from the blue
- Comes from lightning suddenly appearing in a clear blue sky
Black as thunder
- Looking very angry or upset
- She was black as thunder when she heard the bad news
- Also a simile comparing a person’s dark, angry mood to storm clouds before thunder
Blood and thunder
- Very loud, dramatic, or sensational behavior or writing
- The movie was all blood and thunder, with nonstop action from start to finish.
- Comes from 19th-century adventure stories known for violent, dramatic language
Face like thunder
- Looking very angry
- He came in with a face like thunder after the meeting
- Compares a person’s angry look to a dark, stormy sky
Interested in Nature Idioms?
To see the ultimate list of idioms related to nature then visit our comprehensive list with meaning and example sentences called nature idioms.
Flash Harry
- A person who dresses or behaves in a showy, attention-seeking way
- He turned up in a bright suit and expensive watch, looking like a real Flash Harry.
- First used in Britain in the early 1900s to describe flashy, smooth-talking men
Flash in a pan
- Something that starts well but fails quickly
- Their new app was a flash in the pan—popular for a week and then forgotten.
- Comes from old flintlock guns, where powder sometimes flashed without firing a bullet
Flash the cash
- To show off money in a way meant to impress others
- He likes to flash the cash by paying for everything in big notes.
- A modern British expression connected to flashy spending and visible wealth
Gone in a flash (in a flash / like a flash)
- Very fast; happening or disappearing instantly
- The tickets were gone in a flash—you had to be quick to get one.
- Based on the sudden, instant nature of a flash of light
Weather Idioms
To see the ultimate list of idioms related to weather and the other articles in this series, visit our weather idioms page
Lightning in a bottle
- A rare and powerful success that’s hard to repeat
- Achieve something amazing that’s very hard to repeat.
- They caught lightning in a bottle with that movie
- Their first album was lightning in a bottle
- From the idea of trapping lightning — something rare and almost impossible
Lightning never strikes twice
- Rare events don’t usually happen the same way again
- Don’t worry — lightning never strikes twice
- Based on the belief that lightning rarely hits the same place twice
Like grease lightening
- Extremely fast
- She packed her suitcase like greased lightning and was out the door in minutes.
- Refers to lightning imagined moving even faster when “greased,” an old humorous exaggeration
Steal someone’s thunder
- Take attention or credit away from someone
- She announced her news first to steal his thunder
- From an old story about a playwright whose sound effect was copied
Phrases Related to Thunder Storms but Not Idioms
Lightning fast
• Very quick or sudden
• The cat moved lightning fast to catch the mouse
• Compares great speed to the instant flash of lightning
Thunderstruck
• Extremely shocked or amazed
• He was thunderstruck by the news
• From the image of being hit by a loud, sudden clap of thunder
Thunder and lightning
• A dramatic or noisy situation
• The argument was full of thunder and lightning
• Uses natural storm sounds to suggest strong emotion or conflict
Crash of thunder
• A sudden loud noise or event
• The door slammed shut with a crash of thunder
• Imitates the sound of thunder to describe something powerful
Thunderous applause (metaphor / collocation)
• Very loud clapping or praise
• The audience gave a thunderous applause after her speech
• Compares loud clapping to the booming sound of thunder
Quick as lightning (simile)
• Extremely fast
• He reacted quick as lightning and caught the ball
• A simile comparing great speed to the instant flash of lightning
FAQ: Thunderstorm Idioms & Flash Expressions
Thunderstorm idioms are expressions that use storm, thunder, or lightning imagery to describe emotions, sudden events, or strong reactions in everyday English.
Yes. Idioms like a bolt from the blue and face like thunder are common in spoken and written English, especially when describing strong feelings.
An idiom has a meaning that is not literal, such as flash in the pan. A flash expression, like a flash of inspiration, is descriptive but not idiomatic.
No. “Lightning fast” is a simile or descriptive phrase meaning “very fast,” not a true idiom.
Usually no. These idioms are informal and emotional, so they are best for everyday conversation, storytelling, and creative writing.
A bolt from the blue is one of the most widely used. It means something sudden, surprising, or unexpected.
Storms represent strong emotions and sudden changes. English uses this imagery to express anger, shock, excitement, or dramatic events.
Most are understood in both. Some, like flash the cash or flash Harry, are mainly British.
Group them by meaning (anger, surprise, speed) and learn one or two example sentences for each idiom to help remember them.
Yes. Using idioms correctly makes your English sound more fluent, expressive, and confident.
Other Storm Idioms
Storm in a teacup, calm before the storm, weather the storm, a perfect storm and a storm brewing are in the article of storm related idioms, cloud nine is seen in the cloud idioms, rainy day in the rain idioms, tempest in a teapot, blow hot and cold and fair-weather friend are in the weather idioms article.
References
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