What does "didn't see his shadow" mean? Under the sun anything has its shadow...

Question

Context:Following a recent stretch of weather that's included both record warm temperatures and bitter cold, tornadoes in the South and Midwest and torrential rains in the mid-Atlantic, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his lair Saturday in front of thousands but didn't see his shadow.Legend has it that if the furry rodent sees his shadow on Feb. 2 on Gobbler's Knob in west-central Pennsylvania, winter will last six more weeks. But if he doesn't see his shadow, spring will come early.More:http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/02/02/groundhog-day-forecast/1885581/

Avangi · Accepted Answer

NL888What does "didn't see his shadow" mean?

NL888 Under the sun anything has its shadow...

Exactly! So on cloudy, overcast days, he will not see it!

Fivejedjon · Answer

It means that he did not see his shadow - there was no shadow for him to see. Presumably the sun was hidden behind clouds.

(A few seconds later:) Avangi beat me to it.

NL888 · Answer

Beats me, guys.

How can you know whether a rodent sees its own shadow or not?

Fivejedjon · Answer

Well, if there was no shadow, the rodent could hardly see it.

Anonymous · Answer

You can take it by its literal meaning.

Punxsutawney Phil is a groundhog, Groundhog day is celebrated on February 2 of each year in Punxsutawney, Pennysylvania.

Refer to this wikipedia article on Phil, you will understand it better.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punxsutawney_Phil.

Phil is to weather what Paul was to football World Cup

.

Legend: A traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated.

NL888 · Answer

I've read the first part of wiki introduction (see PS).

I'm still confused. Only humans can tell a rodent has a shadow or not, while the rodent itself cannot tell.

My further understanding is: at 7:26 AM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Time_Zone on February 2 in Punxsutawney, Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler's ****, and we (the people there at the scene) see Phil has (a rodent's) shadow or not...
Well, the picture is not clear yet in my mind...

PS.

Punxsutawney Phil Sowerby is a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog resident of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punxsutawney,_Pennsylvania. On February 2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day) of each year, the town of Punxsutawney celebrates the beloved groundhog with a festive atmosphere of music and food. During the ceremony, which begins well before the winter sunrise (which occurs at 7:26 AM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Time_Zone on February 2 in Punxsutawney)^[1], Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler's ****, located in a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_area about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of town. According to the tradition, if Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, he has predicted six more weeks of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter-like weather. If Phil does not see his shadow, he has predicted an "early http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_(season)."^[2] The date of Phil's prognostication is known as Groundhog Day in the United States and Canada. He is considered to be the world's most famous prognosticating rodent. During the rest of the year, Phil lives in the town library with his "wife" Phyllis.
A select group, called the Inner Circle, takes care of Phil year-round and also plans the annual ceremony. Members of the Inner Circle are recognizable by their http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_hat and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuxedo_(clothing). As of 2011^{http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Punxsutawney_Phil&action=edit}, Phil has two co-handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths.^[3]

Avangi · Answer

NL888Only humans can tell a rodent has a shadow or not, while the rodent itself cannot tell.

How would you know that?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

NL888I'm still confused. Only humans can tell a rodent has a shadow or not, while the rodent itself cannot tell.

It is a human legend and just a humorous tradition.

The official Phil-watchers observe Phil coming out of his hole. If there is a shadow, the the humans assume that Phil can see it, even if his shadow is unimportant to the rodent.

There was a funny movie called "Groundhog Day" where the protagonist has to live Groundhog day over and over, until he gets the right attitude towards life. It is great Americana karma, and worth watching if you can get a copy of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog Day%28film%29

Anonymous · Answer

According to folklore;

if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, then spring will come early; (Didn't see his shadow)

if it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will continue for six more weeks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day

Avangi · Answer

Can someone explain this?

What does "didn't see his shadow" mean? Under the sun anything has its shadow...

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions