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When pigs fly
"When pigs fly" is an idiomatic way of saying that something will never happen. Pigs are heavy animals, without wings, and cannot possibly fly, so "when pigs fly" is a time that will never come. The phrase is similar to others such as "when hell freezes over."
The idiom is apparently derived from a centuries-old Scottish proverb, though some other references to pigs flying or pigs with wings are more famous. Here is one such reference from Lewis Carroll:
"Thinking again?" the Duchess asked, with another dig of her sharp little chin.
"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 Duchess, "as pigs have to fly...." — Alice in Wonderland, chapter 9.
Possibly the first occurrence of a pig "flying" occurred in 1909 when the British aviation pioneer Lord Brabazon made the first live air cargo flight with a pig in a basket tied to a wing-strut of his airplane.
When pigs fly - Other notes
The city of Cincinnati, Ohio was historically nicknamed Porkopolis because it was known for producing pigs. For the bicentennial of the city, its old riverfront district was converted to a Riverwalk, and sculptures of flying pigs were included. Flying pigs have since become an emblem of Cincinnati, and many tourist items with flying pigs are available.
Many statues of flying pigs were created for the Big Pig Gig event in Cincinnati in 2000.
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "When pigs fly", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
