Rain check

Question

Rain check means to postpone something for another day. If plans get cancelled, then you take a "rain check" and do it another day.

For example:

'I'm sorry, I have a lot of work on today, can we take a rain check on lunch'

Is there an equivalent phrase in (Spanish) Spanish.

Cancelled means the event will not happen. Postponed means it is delayed (put off) until another time. - ian-hill, Apr 21, 2010

Ah, but, since the plans include the time/place, the plans could be cancelled without intending to cancel the intention to "get togeather". - samdie, Apr 21, 2010

Answer 1

This term comes from baseball, where in the 1880s it became the practice to offer paying spectators a rain check entitling them to future admission for a game that was postponed or ended early owing to bad weather. By the early 1900s the term was transferred to tickets for other kinds of entertainment, and later to a coupon entitling a customer to buy, at a later date and at the same price, a sale item temporarily out of stock.

Today, it is also used when you are invited to an event, lunch, etc. and are unable to accept the invitation. The person inviting you to lunch may say "OK, I'll give you a rain check." or you might say "Thanks for the invitation I need a rain check." leading to having lunch another time.

In 1889, a detachable stub was attached to baseball game tickets in the event of postponement due to bad weather and that stub was called a "rain check".... - cristalino, Jun 24, 2011

Answer 2

Interesting history. In England I've never heard this phrase used for a ticket. As far as I'm aware, in England it is only used to postphone arrangements for another day.

Answer 3

I think it took me around the first fifty years to understand "raincheck" in American English: I certainly don't recall hearing the phrase in England for at least that long and I was always confused when I read it.

Gfreed - do you really attribute "raincheck" to ticket refunds? Wow! I certainly learnt something new if that's so.

it does say so in the dictionary, we got the word vale for that, but that is really only a voucher or ticket - 00494d19, Apr 21, 2010

Yes, literally a "rain check" was to allow you to enter postponed events that were cancelled due to rain/weather so that the seller did not have to refund the admission price. Once he has your money, he doesn't want to return it. - 0074b507, Apr 21, 2010

The raincheck in stores (out of sale/advertised merchandise) came later and had nothing to do with weather..just the postponement) - 0074b507, Apr 21, 2010

In the US, you can also get a "rain check" at a store. If a store has an item on sale and sells out, by law they must give you a rain check (ticket/voucher, etc) to sell you the same item at the sale price when they have more in stock.. - MexGuy, Apr 21, 2010

Answer 4

Heidita,

So the context of a rain check to a sporting event does exist is Spanish, but the context of rain check as some form of hiatus for other activities (e.g. lunch) does not?

Answer 5

Quentin, but this is when it is something physical like a ticket or something. I understood in this case we are talking about a work or something to be done later.

US to take a raincheck, dejar algo para otro momento

Answer 6

vale

Heidita,

Some of your soccer games must get cancelled due to weather. How do they handle the refunds for tickets purchased for the event?

Answer 7

Interesante alex!

Lo siento, tengo mucho trabajo hoy, podemos hacerlo más tarde/otro día/ podemos hacerlo en otra ocasión/dejarlo para después?

There is no expression like the one you mention, I had not seen this before, nice question, learnt something today