For many years, I thought that there was a predictive element in the phrase In like a lion, out like a lamb. I mistakenly inserted the notion that “if” March opened with particularly nasty winter weather, “then” it would end with benign conditions. But no. There’s nothing Farmers’ Almanacky here… just a saying that reflects March’s position in the calendar as a turning point for seasons.
I wonder why I never thought there was an “if” in April showers bring May flowers.
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Boo. My assumption was the same as yours. Lion–lamb; Lamb-lion, a bit more fun than a calendar reference, I think.
I’m delighted, Brian. I thought I was the only one and that my impression came from my British Columbian upbringing. There, March is not as predictable as it is in Ontario and Quebec, so I thought that the saying was designed to help us guess.