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.
Language
Idiom
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
Books of idioms, proverbs and sayings in many languages
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More idioms
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" 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.
”, 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.
"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.
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.
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".
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."
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".
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 .
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.
"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.
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.”
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.
'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.
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.
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.
Introduction: My name is Terrell Hackett, I am a gleaming, brainy, courageous, helpful, healthy, cooperative, graceful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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