Idiom
Take a rain check
If you take a rain check, you politely turn down an invitation now but suggest you would like to accept it another time.
How people use it
It is a friendly way to say no without closing the door: "I'm swamped tonight. Can I take a rain check on dinner?" People also say "Can I get a rain check?" or just "Rain check?" The speaker usually means it sincerely, though it can also be a gentle brush-off. In stores, a rain check is also a slip that lets you buy a sold-out sale item later at the sale price. The phrase began in American English and is now understood in British English too.
Also said: rain check, get a rain check.
Examples
- I'd love to see the movie, but I have to study, so can I take a rain check?
- Grace took a rain check on the hike because her knee was sore.
- Thanks for the invite; let me get a rain check for next weekend.
Where it comes from
It comes from American baseball in the late 1800s. When rain stopped a game, fans received a ticket stub, called a rain check, that let them come back to a later game for free. From there the phrase spread to any promise to accept an offer at a later date, and later to store slips for sold-out sale items.
Check yourself
1. A friend invites you to lunch and you say, "Can I take a rain check?" What do you mean?
Answer: Not today, but maybe another time. Taking a rain check means turning down an offer now while hoping to accept it later.
2. Where does the phrase rain check come from?
Answer: Tickets for baseball games stopped by rain. Fans at rained-out baseball games got rain checks to attend a later game.
Word game fan? See every word hiding in RAIN.