English Vocabulary – Under a cloud

Were you ever under a cloud? An oft repeated idiom for any competitive exam like SSC, PSC, Bank or IB exams. Check out what it means.

Idiom
be under a cloud/ under a cloud

meaning- to be viewed with distrust or disapproval, to become out of favour or to be in trouble, damaged reputation, humiliation

origin-The origin of this phrase can be traced back to the dark medieval times (around 14 th and 15th century) where dark clouds represented threatening misfortune and hard/bad luck. This figuratively means that a black cloud is hanging over someone( a situation or future event that causes worry).

Explanation- Nazar lived in Jammu and Kashmir with his parents, his brother Naved and his sister Noor. Some terrorists were hiding in an abandoned house. The people in the area were under a cloud . The military surrounded the place and started firing and killed not only the terrorists but also a few civilians who ran helter – skelter. The military were under a cloud for killing the few civilians. Nazar was a butcher and was under a cloud because the inspector found that his scales were not honest. His brother Naved ended his athletics career under a cloud of suspicion when he refused to take the drug test. His sister Noor was always under a cloud at the office and left the office under a cloud of suspicion as her reputation was under a cloud. Nazar’s father had been under a cloud since his mother Nafisa died.