dry spell
English
Etymology
Originated around 1885–1890, from dry + spell (“a period of time”). Compare cold spell.
Noun
dry spell (plural dry spells)
- A drawn-out period where the weather has been dry, for an abnormally long time; shorter and not as severe as a drought.
- 1989, Christopher Ward; David Tyson (lyrics and music), “Black Velvet”, performed by Alannah Myles:
- Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell / Jimmy Rogers on the Victrola up high
- 1996, M.G. Vassangi, The Book Of Secrets, page 74:
- The rains, it seemed, were over, and a dry spell was upon them […]
- 2003, Denise Gess, William Lutz, Firestorm at Peshtigo, page 42:
- The only place unaffected by the persistent dry spell was the city of Milwaukee […]
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- (figuratively) A period or time where there is little activity, productivity, low income etc.
- 1970, Gabriel H. L. Jacobs, When children think, page 31:
- The first type is of course the dry spell when you can't think of any ideas. The second type is when kids just have a dry spell in writing.
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- (figuratively) A period of time without sexual intercourse.
- 2007, Elina Furman, Kiss and Run, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 87:
- There's no telling when the serial dating bug can strike. You may be just getting out of a serious relationship, marriage, or long dry spell. But one thing's for certain: when it does it can become a really hard habit to break.
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See also
- petrichor (“the scent of rain on earth after a dry spell”)