What does "To be on cloud 9" mean? Where did it come from?
omg...... I just learned something new and cool that most meteorologists already know. This Ted Talk video I clicked on this morning out of curiosity is what did it to me.
Do you want to fly and touch a cloud? ME, TOO!!! :D
"To be on cloud 9" means to be "on top of the world" or "incredibly happy."
Want to know why? Do ya? Do ya? Do ya do ya do ya?
*affectionately shoves your face into science*
This comes from the cloud naming system created in the 1800's by Luke Howard, (wikipedia.com)
A nervous nerd who daydreamed in class (was he part of our ADHD or autistic tribe?).
He came to identify 7 types of clouds within 3 major classifications of clouds (cirrus, cumulus, and stratus).
These names come from Latin.
Cirrus = "hair" or "tendril"
Cumulus = "pile" or "heap"
Stratus = "sheet" or "layer"
The 4 types he discovered within those main three categories are cirrocumulus, cirrostratus, stratocumulus, and cumulostratus. Because he saw that clouds changed constantly.
There are 10 variations of cloud types (the video says 11) within these three main categories today. (separated by low lying clouds - 3km and below, middle - 9km to 3km, and high - 12km to 9km)
Here he come--
(This next part is a ramble about me. You can scroll past this)
This is something we all learn in grade school science class... or at least I did when I was hyperfixated on weather after "Twister" came out and I wanted to be a storm chaser.
I also had a light crush on Bill Harding (played by Bill Paxton - RIP) because I thought he could sense the weather with the Force or something. I was 11, undiagnosed ADHD with autism, neurodivergent, had 1 friend, got bullied constantly from multiple sources, was ugly, wore glasses, not skinny, and needed an escape. The sky, clouds, sci-fi, fantasy, and space were it. Escapism is a major part of my life. Gimme a break.
I've known the names of the clouds for most of my life, but couldn't remember much of their origin, just that I could identify about 75% of what was up. I've always loved storms. I used to play hide and seek from thunder whenever I'd see lightning since I was 5, because I knew sound followed light, and laugh at the game. That's never changed. I, as a full grown adult, still do that when there's a rare storm where I live.
THE QUESTION YOU WANT TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO.....
WHERE IN THE VOID DOES THE IDIOM "TO BE ON CLOUD 9" COME FROM?????
The 9th type of cloud is identified as a cumulonimbus thunder cloud - (Piling Tower) at the top of a thunderstorm. This is created by updrafts.
To me, it always looked like an explosion over a storm.
"Being on cloud 9" means "being on top of the world" because THIS GIGACHAD IS THE TALLEST CLOUD IN THE ENTIRE SKY.
