Background: Suppose you bought costly ticket to a match and then it got canceled due to rain. To save you from the loss of money, the match organizer can give you ticket-stub along with the ticket- the stub can be used as ticket when the 'replacement match' is played.
So now, taking a rain check would mean opting to leave main opportunity but still keep the option of availing it in future.
Another meaning of the term is option given by companies to avail of their promotion (sale, free-gift etc.), when they run out of stock.
Examples
- Dinner at your place this weekend? I hope I can take a rain check.
- During the 2007 Christmas season, demand for Nintendo Wii was so strong that Nintendo was forced to issue rain checks to customers
from book
Strategic Innovation: New Game Strategies for Competitive Advantage