First recorded in 1875–80
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She adds: "We are on the edge of the roaring forties, we are just a small rock in the middle of the south Atlantic, so we do have some pretty extreme weather."
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2023
The roaring forties describes the area between the latitudes 40 and 50 south of the equator - notorious for strong winds.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2023
The bark County of Pembroke was running her easting down in the roaring forties off the Cape of Good Hope when she shipped a monstrous sea over the lee rail.
From Time Magazine Archive
His bloated face and protruding eyes mark him as he reels about the night clubs of the roaring forties.
From Time Magazine Archive
When you are in the roaring forties, five or six years more or less do not really count.
From The Genial Idiot His Views and Reviews by Bangs, John Kendrick
An example is the westerly wind belt that runs between 40 and 50 degrees latitude, known as the Roaring Forties, including the southern Indian Ocean.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 16, 2019
A knockdown in the Roaring Forties about 400 miles south of the Cape of Good Hope damaged the self-steering.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2019
During the second leg — from Cape Town, through raucous seas whipped up by rocketing winds known as the Roaring Forties, to Sydney, Australia — all the boats were savagely battered.
From New York Times ● May 10, 2016
The fleet is currently deep in the South Atlantic, midway between Brazil and their eventual destination Cape Town, in the notorious high-wind Roaring Forties.
From Reuters ● Nov. 1, 2014
In December they reached the Roaring Forties of the North Atlantic and groped their way, close hauled, in the teeth of the gales.
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
