The Idiom It's Raining Cats and Dogs

This is one of my pet peeves. It's raining cats and dogs. Nobody in an English-speaking country is really gonna say that unless, you know, it were like 1952,. Not necessarily anymore. The idioms I like are these metaphors that actually give you images. They're not original. They're big cliches and we want you to choose another way to express it. Be original guys. Don't bore the examiner.