it never rains but it pours

== English == === Alternative forms === it never rains but that it pours when it rains, it pours === Etymology === Attested as early as the early 18th century. The modern form of the expression first appeared in print as early as 1772. For quotations using this term, see Citations:it never rains but it pours. === Pronunciation === === Proverb === it never rains but it pours Unfortunate events occur in quantity. Synonym: misfortunes never come singly ==== Coordinate terms ==== bad things come in threes ==== Translations ==== === References === Gregory Y. Titelman (1996), Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings, →ISBN, page 172