when pigs fly
English meaning: When pigs fly
Definition
Used to say that something will never happen.
Example
“He'll tidy his room when pigs fly; I've been asking him for three years now.”
Another example: “'He says he'll clean his room without being asked.' 'Sure, and pigs might fly.'”
Usage — When, Where & How
Informal and humorous, used dismissively to say something is extremely unlikely or will never happen. Often tacked onto the end of a sentence as a sarcastic reply.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
A centuries-old impossibility idiom; an early form appears in 17th-century proverb collections.
Synonyms
- when hell freezes over
- not in a million years
- never in a month of sundays
Antonyms / Opposites
- any day now
- in no time
Related Words
- impossible
- unlikely
- sarcasm
- never
Common Collocations
- when pigs fly
- yeah, when pigs fly
- that'll happen when pigs fly
Word Forms
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Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B