When pigs fly / When hell freezes over (2024)

FAQs

When pigs fly / When hell freezes over? ›

Events that can never happen

"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.

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".

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."

It's impossible, which is precisely what the expression means. We say it as a response when someone tells us something that we think is impossible or very unlikely. For example, if person A says “Do you think Mary will quit her job now that she's pregnant?” and person B responds “Yeah, when pigs fly!

As useless as a screen door on a submarine. As useless as a glass hammer. As useless as a one-legged man at an arse-kicking contest.

absurd, futile, hopeless, impassable, impractical, inaccessible, inconceivable, insurmountable, preposterous, unattainable, unimaginable, unreasonable, unthinkable, unworkable, useless.

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.

AMBASSADOR STEVENSON: I am prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over, if that's your decision....

idiom. informal + impolite. used to say that one thinks that something will never happen.

phrase [PHRASE after verb] If you say that you will do something until hell freezes over, you are emphasizing that you will do it for a very long time or for ever. [emphasis] He says he'll sit there until hell freezes over before he'll pay them one cent.

Something that we never thought would happen” would be “an impossibility” or “an improbability.” You could also describe that thing as “implausible,” “inconceivable” or “unthinkable.”

Climb a Steep Hill

Meaning: Undertake a challenging task that requires a lot of effort and determination. Example: “Learning a new language is like climbing a steep hill, but the rewards are worth it.”

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.

"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.

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.

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