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 befa*gy
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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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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FAQs
“When pigs fly”, 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.
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".
When pigs fly then hell has frozen over? ›
“When pigs fly” is used to describe an impossible thing, something that will never happen. It's often used humorously or sarcastically, especially as a comment on extreme ambition or deluded self-assurance. Similar: when hell freezes over. The general consensus is that the term originated either in Germany or Scotland.
What is the saying like when hell freezes over? ›
"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. A song of the same name was written by Johnny Mathis. "On Tibb's Eve" refers to the saint's day of a saint who never existed.
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."
When pigs fly Alice in Wonderland quote? ›
"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 duch*ess, "as pigs have to fly...." — Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 9.
What's another way to say when pigs fly? ›
What is another word for when pigs fly?
| not on your nelly | no way |
|---|
| definitely not | in no circ*mstances |
| not under any circ*mstances | not for love or money |
| by no means | certainly not |
| in no way | not in the slightest |
33 more rows"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 saying 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 .
“When pigs fly”, 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.
Who coined the phrase when hell freezes over? ›
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".
Who said until hell freezes over? ›
AMBASSADOR STEVENSON: I am prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over, if that's your decision.... And I'm also prepared to present the evidence in this room.
What is the hottest hell quote? ›
“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.” You have probably encountered this quote somewhere—on social media, as the opening quote of a bestselling novel, in an op-ed advocating for activism on either side of the political spectrum—attributed to ...
Who said fight them until hell freezes over? ›
Twice, Jackson sent a flag of truce with a demand to surrender to Captain Simpson, asking him to surrender, but Simpson answered back that "he would fight them until Hell froze over, and if he had to retreat he would retreat on ice."
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.
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