When pigs fly / When hell freezes over (2024)

When pigs fly / When hell freezes over (1)

The idioms of this page are used to indicate that something is highly unlikely ever to happen, or that it will never happen. This phrase is thought to come from an old Scottish proverb.

An unofficial symbol of the city of Cincinnati, Ohio in the USA is a flying pig, partly a result of Cincinnati's associations with the pig trade during the 19th century.

LanguageIdiom
Arabic (fil mushmush) في المشمش
in the season of the apricot (a very short season)
Arabic (Algerian) عندما يزهر الملح في بلادنا
when salt blossoms in my country
Arabic (Egyptian) لمّا توقف على عيدك
When you stand on your hand
Arabic (Moroccan) (ila tarat maza) الا طارت معزة
If goats fly
(nhar limando khoh) النهار لمعندو خوه
The day doesn’t have a brother
Belarusian Як воўк брахаць хвастом будзе (Jak voŭk brahać hvastom budz′e)
Like a wolf wagging its tail
Bosnian Kad na vrbi rodi grožđe
When grapes rippen on the willow
Bulgarian На куково лято (Na kukovo ljato)
In a cuckoo summer
Catalan Quan les vaques volin
When cows fly
La setmana dels tres dijous
The week with 3 Thursdays
Chinese 除非太陽從西邊出來 [除非太阳从西边出来] (chúfēi tàiyáng cóng xībiān chūlái)
Unless the sun would rise from the West
Croatian Kad na vrbi rodi grožđe
When grapes rippen the on willow
Na sveto nigdarjevo
On St. Nobody's day
Czech Až naprší a uschne
After it rains and dries
Až na svatého Dyndy / Na svatého Dyndy
On the St. Elsewhen's day
'Dyndy' is a non-existent name in Czech, rhyming with the Czech word 'jindy', meaning some other time.
Danish Når helvede fryser til is
When hell freezes over
Når der er to torsdage i en uge
When there's two Thursdays in a week
Dutch Wanneer Pasen en Pinksteren op één dag vallen
When Easter and Whitsun fall on the same day
Met Sint Juttemis
With St. Juttemis (an imaginary saint)
Als de kalveren op het ijs dansen
If the calves dance on ice
Als de uilen preken
If the owls preach
English When pigs fly / and pigs might fly
When hell freezes over
On a cold day in hell
Not in a month of Sundays
Esperanto En la triĵaŭda semajno
On the week with three thursdays
Estonian Kui sead lendavad
When pig's fly
Finnish Kun helvetti jäätyy
When hell freezes over
Kun lehmät lentävät
When cows fly
Kun lipputangot kukkivat
When flagpoles bloom
French Quand les poules auront des dents
When chicken have teeth
la semaine des 4 jeudis
the week with 4 Thursdays - (French school children used to get Thursdays off)
à la Saint Glinglin
On Saint Glinglin's day (an imaginary saint)
Dans la semaine des quatre jeudis
In the week of the four Thursdays
German Wenn Ostern und Pfingsten auf einen Tag fallen
When Easter and Whistun fall on the same day
Am Sankt Nimmerleinstag / an Sankt Nimmerlein
On Saint Never's day / on Saint Never
Wenn die Hölle zufriert
When Hell freezes over
Wenn es im Sommer schneit
When it snows in summer
Hindi sooraj pashchim se ugega
When the sun will rise in the west
Hungarian Majd ha piros hó esik
When it's snowing red snowflakes
Majd ha cigánygyerekek potyognak az égből
When gipsy children are streaming from the sky
Majd ha a pokol befagy
When Hell freezes over
Irish Nuair a thitfidh an spéir an talamh
When the sky falls to the ground
Nuair a thiocfaidh an lá inné ar ais
When yesterday comes again
Italian Alle calende greche
By the Greek calendar
Quando voleranno gli asini
When donkeys will fly
Quando Pasqua viene a maggio
When Easter falls in May
L'anno del mai / L'anno del mai e il mese del poi
The year of never and the month of then
Nella settimana dei due giovedì
In the week with two thursdays
Quanno pisceno le galline
When hens piss (Roman dialect)
Korean 귀신 씨나락 까먹는 소리 (gwishin ssinarak kkamuhkneun sori)
The sound of a ghost eating rice seeds
개 풀 뜯어먹는 소리 (gaehpul tteuduhmuhkneun sori)
The sound of a dog grazing
Latin Ad kalendas Graecas
on the Greek Kalends - unlike the Roman calendar,
Kalends did not feature in the Greek calendar, so this phrase
is roughly equivalent to "at British Thanksgiving"
(Thanksgiving is not celebrated in the UK).
Latvian Kad pūcei aste ziedēs
When the owl's tail blossoms
Kad slotaskātam lapas plauks
When the broomstick's leaves open
Luxembourgish Wann Päischten op Neijôrsdag fällt
When Whistun and New Year's Day fall on the same day
Macedonian Кога врбата ќе роди грозје (Koga vrbata ke rodi grozye)
When grapes will grow on willows
На куково лето (Na kukovo leto)
In the year of the cuckoo
Malayalam kākka malannu parakkum
The crow will fly upside down
kozhikku mula varumpol
(When the hen has a breast)
Norwegian Når griser flyr
When pigs fly
Når det snør i helvete
When it's snowing in hell
Occitan Quand las galinas pissaran
When hens will pee
Odia ଆକାଶ କଇଆଁ ଚିଲିକା ମାଛ (ākāso kaiā̃ chilikā māchho)
The tamarind from the sky will be brought to cook the fish from the Chilika lake
Persian (Farsi) (vaghte gole ney) وقت گل نی
Polish Na Święty Nigdy
on Saint Never's Day
Kiedy mi kaktus na ręku wyrośnie
When the cactus will grow on my hand
Portuguese Quando a vaca tussa / quando a vaca tossir
When the cow coughs
No Dia de São Nunca
On Saint Never's day
Romanian la Paştele cailor
at horses' Easter
la Sfântu-aşteaptă
on Saint Wait's day/at Saint Wait
când o zbura porcul
when the pig should fly
când o face plopul pere
when the linden tree bears pears
când o face plopul pere şi răchita micşunele
when the linden tree bears pears and the willow wall-flowers
când mi-oi vedea ceafa
when I'll see the back of my head
La Paştele cailor şi la nunta vacilor
At Easter of the horses and at the wedding of the cows
Russian Когда рак на горе свистнет (Kogda rak na gore svisnet)
When the crayfish on the hill whistles
Scots Whaun twa munes in the lift sall shine
When two moons in the sky shall shine
Serbian Kad na vrbi rodi grožđe
When grapes grow on willows
Slovenian Ob svetem nikoli
On Saint Never's Day
Spanish Cuando las ranas críen pelo
When frogs grow hair
El día del arquero
Goalkeeper's day
Cuando llueva para arriba
When it rains upwards
Swedish När grisar flyger
When pigs fly
När helvetet fryser till is
When hell freezes over
Hear these phrases
Tagalog Pagputi ng uwak
When the crow turns white
Pag-itim ng tagak
When the heron turns black
Thai ตอนเซเว่นปิด (ton sē wēn pit)
when the 7-11 is closed
ชาติหน้า (chāt nha)
next lifetime
Turkish Balık ağaca/kavağa çıkınca
When a fish climbs a poplar tree
Ukrainian коли рак на горі свисне (koly rak na gori svisne)
when the crayfish on the hill whistles
коли воша пчихне (koly voša pčyxne)
when louse will sneeze
Vietnamese (cho đến) Tết Marốc
(until a) Moroccan Tet (Tet is Vietnamese New Year)
Welsh Pan fydd moch yn hedfan
When pigs fly
Pan fydd uffern yn rhewi drosodd
When hell freezes over
Pan fydd 'Dolig yn yr haf, a gwsberis yn y gaeaf
When Christmas will be in the summer and goosberries in winter
Yoruba Ní ìgbátí adìẹ́ bá hu eyín
When the chicken has teeth

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When pigs fly / When hell freezes over (2) Books of idioms, proverbs and sayings in many languages

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It's all Greek to me | It's raining cats and dogs | As easy as falling off a log | A sandwich short of a picnic | It's small world | When pigs fly | Out of sight, out of mind | Crystal-clear | Penny Pinching | Practice makes perfect | The grass is always greener | As Snug as a Bug in a Rug

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When pigs fly / When hell freezes over (9)

When pigs fly / When hell freezes over (2024)

FAQs

When pigs fly / When hell freezes over? ›

When pigs fly

When pigs fly
"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.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › flying_pig
”, or “pigs might fly” if you prefer, is a way of saying something will never happen, akin to “when hell freezes over”. It is what we call a Adynaton: an exaggerated/hyperbolic figure of speech taken to such lengths as to suggest a complete impossibility.

What is the old saying when pigs fly? ›

"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.

When hell freezes over and pigs fly? ›

Events that can never happen

As a response to an unlikely proposition, "when pigs fly", "when pigs have wings", or simply "pigs might fly". "When Hell freezes over" and "on a cold day in Hell" are based on the understanding that Hell is eternally an extremely hot place. The "Twelfth of Never" will never come to pass.

What is the saying about when pigs fly? ›

The phrase 'When Pigs Fly' refers to something that is highly unlikely to ever happen. Example of use: "I might wake up early tomorrow to clean my room". "Yes, you'll do that when pigs fly".

What's another phrase for when pigs fly? ›

What is another word for when pigs fly?
not on your nellyno way
definitely notin no circumstances
not under any circumstancesnot for love or money
by no meanscertainly not
in no waynot in the slightest
33 more rows

What does the phrase pigs may fly mean? ›

Meaning: A sarcastic remark used to indicate that an event is very unlikely and/or to question the credulity of someone. For example, "he said that he'd tidy his room today," to which somebody might reply "... and pigs might fly" or other variations such as "when pigs fly" and "oh look, I think I saw a flying pig."

Where did the phrase when hell freezes over come from? ›

This saying appears to have originated around the 1910s and first appeared in print in 1919. It was a favorite expression of both P.G. Wodehouse and F. Scott Fitzgerald - the latter often ended his letters with "Yours till hell freezes over".

What is the saying about hell freezing over? ›

Idioms and Phrases

Forever, as in They said they'd go on searching till hell freezes over, but I'm sure they'll give up soon . This hyperbolic expression dates from the early 1900s. So does its antonym, not till hell freezes over , meaning “never,” as in I'm not giving in, not until hell freezes over .

What's another way to say when hell freezes over? ›

What is another word for when hell freezes over?
no chancemoonshot
off-chanceone in a million
poor prognosisuncertainty
dark horsepoor bed
remote possibilityfluke
26 more rows

What does a pigs gotta fly mean? ›

said when you think that there is no chance at all of something happening: "I'll have finished it by tomorrow." "And pigs can fly!" Impossible and improbable.

What is the quote about pigs in Lord of the Flies? ›

"Kill the Pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood." Jack and the hunters chant this as they return with the dead pig. This chant is violent and triumphant as Jack finally gets what he was looking for: a kill.

What is the metaphor when pigs fly? ›

Definition: It's impossible for pigs to fly, so when someone says this, they are saying that something will (most likely) never happen. Examples: “I might wake up early to clean my room…” “Yeah right, you'll do that when pigs fly.”

Where did the saying when pigs fly come from? ›

No one is certain exactly who developed the phrase “when pigs fly." An old reference to pigs flying appears in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. However, scholars believe Carroll may have picked up the phrase from the Scottish, who allegedly had been using the phrase for a couple hundred years.

Who used to say when pigs fly? ›

'Pigs fly in the air with their tails forward' was a popular saying in the 17th Century. The current meaning ( to indicate something impossible) was first used in the 19th Century by Lewis Carroll.

What is the old saying hogs get slaughtered? ›

I've written a few times about the adage 'pigs get fed and hogs get slaughtered. ' The meaning (as it applies to business) is simply that it's okay to make a profit, but when that profit is the result of price gouging and/or taking advantage of people, you'll eventually lose in the end. Being a pig is good.

What is the old saying pigs ear? ›

Make a pig's ear' is a mid 20th century phrase and means 'completely botch something up; make a complete mess of it'. ... The expression derives from the old proverb 'you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear', which dates from the 16th century.

What does if pigs had wings they would fly mean? ›

Proverb. if pigs had wings they would fly. (colloquial) Expresses skepticism toward a hypothetical argument by another.

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