Whiteisms
The Archive

Etymology Journal · A

At least the sun's out

Meaning

A quintessential bit of Midwestern stoicism. It is used to find a silver lining during a bad day, even if that silver lining is just the presence of sunlight.

Optimistic, stoic

Used in a sentence

  • I know the car won't start, but at least the sun's out.
  • We lost the softball game, but at least the sun's out.
  • My day has been a disaster, but at least the sun's out.

The backstory

This is a cultural artifact of the Midwest where winters are long and cloudy. The sun is a rare commodity, so its appearance is treated as a moral victory.

Heard in

Midwest

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