Abstract
‘Foxrain’ is “rain that comes for a while and stops, on a day when there is sunshine” and is an expression similar to idioms such as ‘fox is getting married’ and ‘tiger is getting married’. Until now, the public had little interest in ‘foxrain’. However, in recent years, on days when it rains, ‘foxrain’ has become more common due to global climate change. The public has become more interested and raised questions about its origins. Why does the word ‘foxrain’, which is a combination of “animal name” and ‘rain’, explain the paradoxical situation where it rains even though the day is sunny? Words for animals form the oldest vocabulary of all the world's languages and reflect the ideas and values of unique ethnic groups and their cultures. Also, the combination of ‘animal name’ and ‘verb + adjective’, which are special components of idiomatic phrases, can be debated from a narrative perspective.
 This research looked for traces of the origin story through a questionnaire survey and investigated the public's perception of ‘foxrain’. As a result, we were able to discover new idioms and the preference for idioms by age group. From the past until now, foxes have shown potential as a prototype for stories. In the past, it was simply a expression to describe the weather, but now it has been expanded to include an emotional concept through the linking of contexts. Especially new new media is currently reproducing its story of origin and regaining its status as a cultural prototype. Tracking such idiom changes would also be a meaningful task in the oral literary field.
 This study explores the meaning of idiomatic expressions through the story of the origin of ‘foxrain’, used in literature and media in response to the demands of the times. It considers the relationships between similar idiomatic expressions and their origins. We will also look at the meaning changes that accompany changes in media.
Published Version
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