In like a lion out like a lamb

Before global warming, *wink* it was quite usual for February to be a cold month, so that March would often arrive on a cold, blustery wind, roaring like a lion. But the natural succession of seasons means that things are warming up during March, and the end of March is warmer and quieter, and, lamb-like, smoothly segues into the gentle month of April. That used to be the case in temperate climates, but nowadays, who knows? I couldn't find an origin. Just that it is a "proverb."

Here are a few more March expressions some you may recognize and some might be new to you. You will notice that I left out “Kiss me I am Irish”.

It was also thought that the weather in March could be an indication of what was to come: "So many mists in March, so many frosts in May."

"On the first of March, crows begin to search" refers to the tradition that crows begin pairing on this day.

The proverbial phrase "mad as a March hare" has a similar origin: a "March hare" is a brown hare in the breeding season, noted for its leaping, boxing, and chasing in circles.

But perhaps the strongest literary and historical association of the month is not with the weather, but with the "ides", or middle day of the month, in the ancient Roman calendar. Julius Caesar, who in Shakespeare's play unwisely ignores the soothsayer's warning, "Beware the Ides of March!", was murdered on the Ides (15th) of March in a conspiracy led by Brutus and Cassius.