proverb · Words worth keeping
Hail brings frost in the tail.
Hail brings frost in the tail.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Hail is imagined as arriving with frost following behind it. The tail image turns a sequence of weather into a single creature-like visitor.
Example
A reader notices how the tail image connects two conditions while leaving any actual sequence to separate observation.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The event is given a trailing part that carries the next condition. This can make an expected succession easy to picture and remember. It does not establish that every hail event is followed by frost or identify an interval between them. A careful reading explains the personification without using it to forecast what comes next.
When to use it
Use it to discuss the image of one weather event bringing another.
Keep in mind
This is not a verified forecast of frost after hail.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English