pig
farm animal raised for meat
A farm animal with a fat body and short legs that people keep for meat like pork and bacon.
a/an [adjective] pig; raise/keep [pigs]
- The children fed the pigs on their grandparents’ farm.
- We could hear the pigs squealing from the barn.
- Farmers often keep pigs together in large pens.
- That pig looks almost ready to go to market.
- They decided to raise pigs instead of chickens.
- There are three pigs on the farm.
- The pig is eating from the bucket.
- His uncle keeps many pigs for meat.
- The pig lies in the mud.
- We saw a big pink pig at the zoo.
greedy or unpleasant person
A rude word for someone who takes too much, is very messy, or does not care about other people.
[someone] is a (real) pig; be such a pig
- Don’t be such a pig—leave some pizza for everyone else.
- He never helps with the dishes; he can be a real pig sometimes.
- Stop talking with your mouth full, you pig.
- She called him a sexist pig after his rude comment.
- You’re a pig if you think you can treat people like that.
- He eats like a pig and never says thank you.
- You are a pig if you never clean your room.
- She thinks he is a pig because he is very rude.
- Don’t be a pig; share the cake.
- He was a pig to his friends, so they left.
insulting term for police
A very rude slang word for a police officer.
the pigs; call [a police officer] a pig
- He shouted, "The pigs are here!" as the police vans arrived.
- Calling the officers pigs only made the situation worse.
- The graffiti on the wall said, "Fight the pigs."
- Some protestors chanted insults at the pigs during the march.
- Using the word "pig" for police is considered very offensive.
- He called the police "pigs," and they were angry.
- Some people say "pigs" when they talk about the police.
- Do not call a police officer a pig; it is very rude.
- The sign said, "Stop the pigs," meaning the police.
- She thinks the word "pig" for police is hateful.
meat from a pig (informal)
Meat that comes from a pig, used as a general word instead of saying pork, bacon, or ham.
eat [pig]; cook [pig]
- They roasted a whole pig for the festival.
- We don’t eat pig in this household for religious reasons.
- The restaurant serves grilled pig with spicy sauce.
- He gave up pig but still eats chicken and fish.
- This stew is made with pig and vegetables.
- They cooked a big pig for the party.
- Some people do not eat pig for religious reasons.
- This soup has pig and rice in it.
- I like pig, but my friend likes chicken more.
- We had pig and potatoes for dinner.
block of crude metal
A big, rough piece of metal, such as iron, made in a factory before it is made into other shapes.
a pig of [metal]; cast [metal] into pigs
- The blast furnace produces pig iron that is later refined into steel.
- Workers stacked the lead pigs in the warehouse.
- Each pig of iron weighs several hundred kilos.
- The plant casts the molten metal into pigs for transport.
- These pigs are then remelted and alloyed for specific uses.
- The factory makes big pigs of iron.
- They move the heavy metal pigs with a crane.
- Each pig of metal is very heavy.
- The hot metal is poured into a mold to make pigs.
- These pigs will later become steel bars.
cleaning or inspection device in a pipe
A special tool that moves inside a long pipe to clean it or check it.
run a pig through [a pipeline]; launch a pig
- Engineers ran a pig through the line to remove built-up wax.
- An intelligent pig was used to inspect the pipeline for corrosion.
- The pig became stuck halfway along the pipeline and had to be recovered.
- They launched the pig from the offshore platform early in the morning.
- Regular pigging reduces the risk of pipeline blockages.
- The company used a pig to clean the long oil pipe.
- A pig moves inside the pipe and pushes the dirt out.
- They sent a smart pig through the pipe to look for problems.
- If the pig gets stuck, the engineers must find it.
- The manager said they will run a pig every month.
- Base: pig
- Plural: pig, pigs
bleed like a stuck pig
1bleed a lot from a wound
To bleed a lot from a cut or wound.
- He cut his hand and it was bleeding like a stuck pig.
- Your nose is bleeding like a stuck pig; tilt your head forward.
- The small cut made him bleed like a stuck pig.
buy a pig in a poke
1buy something unseen or unchecked
To buy something without looking at it carefully first, so you do not really know what you are getting.
- Buying a used car without an inspection is like buying a pig in a poke.
- Read the reviews so you don’t buy a pig in a poke.
- They bought a pig in a poke and the house needed huge repairs.
in a pig's eye
1expression of strong disbelief
Used to say that you do not believe something at all or that it will not happen.
- "You’ll get the money back." "In a pig’s eye!"
- He says he’ll change, but in a pig’s eye.
- She’ll be home by midnight, in a pig’s eye.
make a pig's ear of [something]
1do something very badly
To do something very badly so that it is a mess or a failure.
- He made a pig’s ear of the report and had to rewrite it.
- I really made a pig’s ear of that job interview.
- They made a pig’s ear of the new website launch.
male chauvinist pig
1strong insult for a sexist man
A very insulting name for a man who thinks men are better than women and behaves in a sexist way.
- She called her boss a male chauvinist pig after his comments about women.
- Anyone who says women can’t lead is a male chauvinist pig.
- The show was full of jokes that made him sound like a male chauvinist pig.
pig out
1eat too much in a greedy way
To eat a lot of food in a greedy way, usually more than you need.
- We pigged out on pizza and ice cream last night.
- Try not to pig out on snacks before dinner.
- They pigged out at the buffet until they could hardly move.
sweat like a pig
1sweat a lot
To sweat a lot so that your body is very wet.
- It was so hot on the train that I was sweating like a pig.
- I always sweat like a pig when I exercise.
- By the end of the race he was sweating like a pig.
when pigs fly
1used to mean ‘never’
Used to say that something will never happen.
- "He’ll apologize." "Yeah, when pigs fly."
- I’ll lend you my car when pigs fly.
- She’ll stop checking her phone at work when pigs fly.