Hubbry Logo
When pigs flyWhen pigs flyMain
Open search
When pigs fly
Community hub
When pigs fly
logo
8 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
When pigs fly
When pigs fly
When pigs fly
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia
A weather vane in the shape of a flying pig

The phrase "when pigs fly" (alternatively, "pigs might fly") is an adynaton—a figure of speech so hyperbolic that it describes an impossibility. The implication of such a phrase is that the circumstances in question (the adynaton, and the circumstances to which the adynaton is being applied) will never occur. The phrase has been used in various forms since the 1600s as a sarcastic remark.[1]

History

[edit]

The idiom is apparently derived from a centuries-old Scottish proverb, though some other references to pigs flying or pigs with wings are more famous. In his Fourth Book of Gargantua and Pantagruel from 1553, François Rabelais makes the aphorism into a dramatic event, when the giant Pantagruel fights the Chitterlings and its champion, "a huge, fat, thick, grizzly swine, with long and large wings, like those of a windmill."[2]

The phrase appears in the 1865 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Meaning

[edit]
John Moore-Brabazon, 1st Baron Brabazon of Tara took a piglet with him on board an aeroplane in 1909

"When pigs fly" is an adynaton, a way of saying that something will never happen. The phrase is often used for humorous effect, to scoff at over-ambition. There are numerous variations on the theme; when an individual with a reputation for failure finally succeeds, onlookers may sarcastically claim to see a flying pig. ("Hey look! A flying pig!")[3] Other variations on the phrase include "And pigs will fly", this one in retort to an outlandish statement.

Usage

[edit]

At least two appear in the works of Lewis Carroll:

"Thinking again?" the Duchess asked, with another dig of her sharp little chin.
"I've a right to think," said Alice sharply, for she was beginning to feel a little worried.
"Just about as much right," said the Duchess, "as pigs have to fly ..." — Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 9.[4]

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—
Of cabbages—and kings—
And why the sea is boiling hot—
And whether pigs have wings." —Through the Looking Glass : and what Alice found there. pp. 75–76.

An example occurs in the film The Eagle Has Landed: an Irish secret agent working for the Nazis replies to a German general speaking of Germany's shortly winning World War II, "Pigs may fly, General, but I doubt it!" Later, when the Irishman sees German soldiers parachuting before an attack, he says to himself, "Mother of God! Flying pigs!"

In the 2012 mobile game Bad Piggies, the third episode is "When Pigs Fly".

Similar phrases

[edit]
Main article: List of idioms of improbability
  • Similar phrases in English include "when hell freezes over" and "monkeys might fly out of my butt", popularized in Wayne's World skits and movies. They are examples of adynata.[5]
  • An exact phrase exists in Spanish, Cuando los chanchos vuelen, literally meaning "when pigs fly".
  • An identical phrase, used to express impossibilities, exists in Romanian, Când o zbura porcul, literally meaning "When the pig shall fly"; an equivalent also implying an animal is La Paștele cailor, literally: "on horses' Easter".
  • The Latin expression ad kalendas graecas "to the Greek calends"
  • The German "Wenn Schweine fliegen können!" is identical with the English saying, although the older proverb "Wenn Schweine Flügel hätten, wäre alles möglich" ("if pigs had wings, everything would be possible") is in more common use.[6][better source needed]
  • In Finnish, the expression "kun lehmät lentävät" (when cows fly) is used because of its alliteration.
  • In Swedish, the phrase "när grisar flyger" is identical to the English saying.
  • In French, the most common expression is "quand les poules auront des dents" (when the hens have teeth).
  • In Russian, a popular expression with a similar meaning is "когда рак на горе свистнет" (when the crayfish will whistle on the mountain).
  • In medieval Hebrew manuscripts, the expression "until the donkey ascends the ladder" is attested.[7]
  • In Arabic, there's an Egyptian proverb "bukra fil mish-mish" (بكرة في المشمش), meaning "tomorrow when the apricots bloom", which pertains to something that will never happen. This is because, in Egypt, apricots (mish-mish) have a very short season and they become mushy quickly.[8][9]

Pigasus

[edit]

Pigasus is a portmanteau word combining pig with Pegasus, the winged horse, and used to refer to a pig with wings; it has been used by several different authors.

American literature author John Steinbeck was told by his professor that he would be an author when pigs flew. When he eventually became a novelist, he started to print every book he wrote with the Dog Latin motto "Ad astra per alia porci" (intended to mean 'to the stars on the wings of a pig').[10][11][12][13] In Latin this is grammatically incorrect because alia means 'other things',[14][15] while alas would be the accusative form of 'wings' after the preposition per.[16][17] Steinbeck wrote in a letter that he regarded Pigasus as a symbol of himself, to show he was "earthbound but aspiring [...] not enough wingspread but plenty of intention".[11] He sometimes added an image of a flying pig, called Pigasus.

Pigasus was also a flying pig character in the Oz books written by Ruth Plumly Thompson in the 1930s.[18] Her Pigasus was also a winged pig. His riders gained the gift of poesy, being magically compelled to speak in rhyming jingles while on his back. The character first appeared in Pirates in Oz (1931) and played a major role in the plot of The Wishing Horse of Oz.

Mark Kistler's drawing instruction videos often feature a Pigasus.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

When pigs fly

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
"When pigs fly" is an adynaton, a expressing an absolute impossibility or extreme unlikelihood of an event occurring, often used sarcastically to dismiss a as absurd. The phrase originates from a traditional , with its earliest printed record appearing in 1581 in Against Ierome Osorius Byshopp of Siluane in Portingall and against his slaunderous inuectiues An aunswere apologeticall by Walter Haddon, , and James Bell, where it is rendered as "when pigges flye with their tayles foreward" to illustrate something nonsensical. This hyperbolic imagery of defying gravity underscores the idiom's core meaning of perpetual improbability. Over time, the expression evolved into its modern, concise form, gaining prominence in English literature and everyday speech. It appears in Lewis Carroll's (1865) as "as pigs have to fly," and similar variants like "pigs might fly" or "pigs could fly if they had wings" emerged in British usage to convey skepticism. In , "when pigs fly" became the dominant phrasing by the 20th century, often employed in informal contexts to ridicule overly optimistic claims, such as "I'll finish that report on time—when pigs fly." The 's enduring popularity lies in its vivid, humorous animal , which has influenced cultural references, including album titles, , and even , while remaining a staple of idiomatic expression for impossibility.

Origins and History

Etymology

The phrase "when pigs fly" derives from earlier English expressions denoting impossibility, such as "pigs might fly," which evolved in 17th-century literature to emphasize hyperbolic unlikelihood. The first known printed use appears in John Withals' 1616 English-Latin , A Shorte Dictionarie for Yonge Beginners, where it is recorded as "Pigs fly in the ayre with their tayles forward," serving as a sarcastic dismissal of improbable claims. This formulation underscores the idiom's roots in proverbial , predating the modern phrasing but establishing its core imagery of absurd aerial porcine motion. The draws influence from in , where expressions like "pigs might fly, but it's not likely" highlighted unnatural events as markers of the impossible, with the appearing in John Ray's 1670 A Collection of English Proverbs (revised 1678). Semantically, the choice of pigs symbolizes utter impossibility because they are stout, wingless, ground-dwelling mammals physiologically incapable of flight, contrasting sharply with avian capabilities and evoking a violation of natural order. This pairing leverages the pig's terrestrial, heavy-bodied nature to amplify the adynaton's rhetorical force, making flight an emblem of the eternally unattainable without requiring phonetic complexity beyond the phrase's rhythmic alliteration.

Early Recorded Uses

One of the earliest documented instances of the phrase appears in the 1616 edition of John Withals's A Shorte Dictionarie for Yonge Beginners, an English-Latin that includes a list of proverbs; there, it is rendered as "Pigs fly with their tailes forward," employed to convey derision or skepticism toward an improbable assertion. This variant highlights the absurdity of the image, drawing on the inherent implausibility of porcine flight to underscore disbelief. The expression gained further literary prominence in Jonathan Swift's 1738 satirical work Polite Conversation, where the character Lady Answerall uses it to rebuff speculation about her marriage prospects, stating, "No, Sir; but I shall be married when Pigs fly with their Tails forward." Swift's inclusion in this dialogue collection, which mocks superficial social exchanges, illustrates the phrase's role in everyday dismissive rhetoric among the English . In the , the saw adaptations in , appearing in periodicals and to emphasize , often in contexts of rural or everyday . By the late 1800s, variants like "pigs might fly" proliferated in American print, evolving from these proverbial roots in —where farmers might invoke it to question unlikely agricultural outcomes, such as bountiful harvests amid poor conditions—toward a standardized figurative expression of outright impossibility by the early 1900s.

Meaning and Usage

Definition and Interpretation

The "when pigs fly" serves as a hyperbolic expression denoting an event that will never occur, drawing on the inherent biological implausibility of pigs, which lack the anatomical adaptations for flight such as wings or lightweight structures. This phrasing underscores absolute impossibility through vivid, absurd imagery, effectively communicating skepticism toward unrealistic propositions. In linguistic terms, "when pigs fly" is categorized as an adynaton, a subtype of that deliberately exaggerates to assert an event's infeasibility, often for emphatic effect in rhetorical discourse. As a rhetorical tool, it functions to dismiss ideas or predictions decisively, reinforcing the speaker's stance by invoking an irrefutable contradiction to the natural order. This device appears in English usage from at least the early , evolving as a staple for expressing . The idiom's tone can range from lighthearted to firm rejection, frequently marked by irony to highlight the of the suggested scenario. In conversational contexts, it promotes a grounded perspective by curtailing overly optimistic or fanciful discussions, thereby maintaining pragmatic realism in communication.

Examples in Language and Literature

The idiom "when pigs fly" appears in 19th-century English literature as a variant form, "pigs might fly," to denote impossibility. For instance, in Charles Whitehead's 1835 novel The Autobiography of Jack Ketch, the phrase is employed to express about an unlikely event, illustrating its early hyperbolic usage in . The phrase gained prominence in everyday spoken and written language during the mid-20th century, particularly in , as evidenced by a marked increase in its frequency in printed materials post-World War II, reflecting broader cultural adoption in casual discourse. It frequently appears in for political commentary on improbable reforms or promises; for example, a opinion piece in the used it to critique the unlikelihood of the city council addressing financial issues effectively. In scripted media, the idiom often receives ironic or literal treatment for comedic effect. A notable instance occurs in the 1995 The Simpsons episode "Lisa the Vegetarian" (Season 7, Episode 5), where Mr. Burns declares he will make a donation "when pigs fly," only for a mutated flying pig to pass by the window, subverting the expression through visual absurdity in the show's satirical style.

Similar Expressions

English Variants

Close variants of the idiom "when pigs fly" include "pigs might fly," "when hell freezes over," and "on the day pigs fly," all expressing extreme improbability or impossibility. The phrase "pigs might fly" emerged in its modern form in 1835 within Charles Whitehead's novel The Autobiography of Jack Ketch, building on earlier 17th- and 18th-century British expressions like "pigs fly with their tails forward" from John Withals's 1616 dictionary and "an hog fly" in Thomas Fuller's 1732 Gnomologia. The phrase "when hell freezes over" originated in American English in the early 19th century, with the earliest known printed use in 1832 in the Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate. The variant "on the day pigs fly" functions as a temporal extension of the core imagery, emphasizing an nonexistent future event, though its precise recording traces back to informal 19th-century usages akin to the primary idiom. Regional differences in English dialects highlight preferences for these phrasings, with favoring "when pigs fly" for its direct structure, while more commonly employs "pigs might fly" in sarcastic rebuttals. This distinction is noted in idiomatic analyses, reflecting transatlantic variations in hyperbolic expressions since the . The evolution of these variants has seen the "flying pigs" motif extend idiomatically into contemporary events, such as during the , where the outbreak inspired puns like "swine flu means pigs might fly" in media and public discourse, reinforcing the phrase's cultural resonance without altering its core meaning of impossibility.

Equivalents in Other Languages

In Romance languages, the French idiom quand les poules auront des dents, literally "when hens have teeth," serves as a direct parallel to express an utterly impossible event. This expression, evoking the biological absurdity of toothless birds developing dentition, traces its roots to 18th-century French folklore and proverbs, with an early documented use in Jean-Charles-François Tuet's 1789 compilation Matinées sénonoises, ou proverbes françois, suivis de leur origine, where it is linked to ancient notions of improbability akin to Latin phrases like quum mula pepererit ("when a mule gives birth"). Similar variants appear in other Romance tongues, such as Italian quando gli asini voleranno ("when donkeys fly"), underscoring a shared reliance on defying animal physiology to denote skepticism. Germanic languages feature close cognates, exemplified by the German wenn Schweine fliegen können, translating to "when pigs can fly," which mirrors the English phrasing almost verbatim to convey unattainability. This reflects broader Indo-European proverb traditions where flight represents transcendence beyond natural limits, as noted in comparative linguistic studies of adynatons (expressions of impossibility). In contrast to English variants like "pigs might fly," the German form emphasizes capability (können), adding a layer of conditional irony to the absurdity. Asian equivalents adapt the theme through localized animal imagery, as seen in the Chinese proverb mǔ zhū huì shàng shù (母猪会上树), or "when the sow climbs the tree," a modern expression used in Mandarin and to signify something preposterous. This idiom, documented in contemporary Chinese dictionaries as a satirical rebuke of unreliable scenarios, replaces flight with arboreal ascent to exploit the pig's , non-climbing physique for humorous effect. Equivalents in these languages leverage animals as emblems of earthly mundanity defying expectation, fostering cross-linguistic resonance in conveying doubt.

Cultural Impact

The Pigasus Symbol

The Pigasus symbol originated as a provocative piece of political theater during the turbulent in , where the (Yippies) nominated a domestic named "Pigasus the Immortal" for to satirize the perceived absurdity of the electoral system and underscore the idiom's theme of utter impossibility. This 145-pound , procured by Yippie leaders such as and , served as a literal embodiment of mockery, highlighting the countercultural movement's disdain for conventional politics amid the protests. On August 23, 1968, Yippie activists paraded Pigasus through Chicago's Civic Center Plaza (now Daley Plaza) in a mock campaign event, complete with a where Rubin attempted to deliver an acceptance speech on the pig's behalf. The stunt quickly escalated when police intervened, arresting seven Yippies—including , , and others—along with the pig itself on charges of , which only amplified media coverage and turned the incident into a national spectacle. The arrests, occurring just days before the convention's violent clashes, underscored the Yippies' strategy of using humor and disruption to challenge , drawing widespread attention to their broader festival of life agenda. Pigasus's legacy endured as a potent in protest movements throughout the late and into the , inspiring Yippie-led actions that blended with to critique power structures and electoral farce. The event's influence extended to the trial, where Hoffman and Rubin faced charges related to the convention protests, further cementing Pigasus as an of creative resistance against institutional rigidity. By embodying irreverence, Pigasus helped shape a of satirical symbolism in American , emphasizing the power of ridicule to expose political impossibilities. The "when pigs fly" has been prominently featured in visual media, particularly on the cover of Pink Floyd's 1977 album Animals, which depicts a large inflatable pig floating above London's . Designed by the art collective , the image was captured during a photoshoot in December 1976, where the 40-foot helium-filled pig, named Algie, broke free and drifted into airspace, prompting flight delays and a pilot alert from . This event cemented the flying pig as a surreal symbol in rock culture, with the album critiquing social divisions through animal metaphors. In , the phrase has appeared in campaigns employing ironic or literal imagery to highlight improbable promises. A television commercial for Carefree titled "Until Pigs Fly" shows animated soaring through the sky to illustrate the product's enduring bubbles, playing on the idiom's sense of impossibility. Similarly, 's 2012 ad "When Pigs Fly" features the company's , a named Maxwell, seated on an airplane using the GEICO , humorously literalizing the expression to promote easy access during travel. Post-2010, the flying motif has proliferated in personal and digital humor, often as tattoos symbolizing defiance of odds or whimsical rebellion. Designs typically portray winged pigs in vibrant, cartoonish styles, drawing from the idiom's cultural resonance. In the , references to flying pigs have emerged in discussions of , underscoring toward improbable breakthroughs. For instance, during a 2022 UK debate on global energy transitions, Lord Moynihan invoked "flying pigs" to doubt the practicality of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 without innovative alternatives to current strategies.

References

  1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/when%20pigs%20fly
  2. https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/a-whole-barnyard-of-farm-idioms
  3. https://grammarist.com/idiom/when-pigs-fly-and-pigs-might-fly/
  4. https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/pigs-might-fly.html
  5. https://www.grammar-monster.com/sayings_proverbs/when_pigs_fly.htm
  6. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/when-pigs-fly
  7. https://literarydevices.com/adynaton/
  8. https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/when-pigs-fly-idioms
  9. https://thewritepractice.com/hyperbole-adynaton/
  10. https://blog.reedsy.com/rhetorical-devices/
  11. https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=when+pigs+fly&year_start=1900&year_end=2008&corpus=en-us-2019&smoothing=3
  12. https://www.dailynews.com/2008/01/31/when-pigs-fly/
  13. https://wordhistories.net/2022/05/11/until-hell-freezes/
  14. https://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/2366658/Swine-flu-jokes-pigs-might-fly
  15. https://wordhistories.net/2023/11/09/scarce-hens-teeth/
  16. https://blog.ted.com/40-idioms-that-cant-be-translated-literally/
  17. https://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/60011/
  18. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/22/column-upcoming-convention-brings-back-memories-of-lake-countys-pigasus-the-political-swine/
  19. https://rozsixties.unl.edu/items/show/561.html
  20. https://scdailygazette.com/2024/08/21/from-pigasus-the-candidate-to-a-breakout-speech-for-obama-the-dnc-often-leaves-its-mark-on-history/
  21. https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-history/2025/08/27/the-search-for-pigasus-what-happened-to-chicagos-presidential-pig
  22. https://c4aa.org/our-research/actipedia/
  23. https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/pink-floyd-inflatable-pig-london-1976/
  24. https://festivalpeak.com/pink-floyds-animals-the-story-behind-the-album-cover-e7e9c588fa00
  25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8Zefgp4PZU
  26. https://www.ispot.tv/ad/7A0Z/geico-mobile-app-when-pigs-fly
  27. https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/pig-tattoo/
  28. https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2022-06-15/debates/416A7F36-95EC-4540-ABF2-792EBE293EEE/GlobalEnergySector
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.