Pig


[pig] /pɪg/

noun
1.
a young swine of either sex, especially a domestic hog, Sus scrofa, weighing less than 120 pounds (220 kg)
2.
any wild or domestic swine.
3.
the flesh of swine; pork.
4.
Informal. a person of piggish character, behavior, or habits, as one who is gluttonous, very fat, greedy, selfish, or filthy.
5.
Slang. an immoral woman; prostitute.
6.
Slang: Disparaging. a police officer.
7.
Slang. an extremely rude, ill-mannered person, especially one who is sexist or racist.
8.
Machinery. any tool or device, as a long-handled brush or scraper, used to clear the interior of a pipe or duct.
9.
Metallurgy.

verb (used with object), pigged, pigging.
10.
to mold (metal) into pigs.
11.
Informal. to eat (something) quickly; gulp:
He pigged three doughnuts and ran off to school.
verb (used without object), pigged, pigging.
12.
to bring forth pigs; farrow.
Verb phrases
13.
pig out, Slang. to overindulge in eating:
We pigged out on pizza last night.
Idioms
14.
on the pig’s back, Australian Slang. in a fortunate position.
15.
pig it,

[pig] /pɪg/
noun, Scot. and North England.
1.
an earthenware crock, pot, pitcher, or jar.
2.
potter’s clay; earthenware as a material.
/pɪɡ/
noun
1.
any artiodactyl mammal of the African and Eurasian family Suidae, esp Sus scrofa (domestic pig), typically having a long head with a movable snout, a thick bristle-covered skin, and, in wild species, long curved tusks
2.
a domesticated pig weighing more than 120 pounds (54 kg) related adjective porcine
3.
(informal) a dirty, greedy, or bad-mannered person
4.
the meat of swine; pork
5.
(derogatory) a slang word for policeman
6.

7.
(Brit, informal) something that is difficult or unpleasant
8.
an automated device propelled through a duct or pipeline to clear impediments or check for faults, leaks, etc
9.
a pig in a poke, something bought or received without prior sight or knowledge
10.
(informal) make a pig of oneself, to overindulge oneself
11.
(Irish & NZ) on the pig’s back, successful; established: he’s on the pig’s back now
verb pigs, pigging, pigged
12.
(intransitive) (of a sow) to give birth
13.
(intransitive) (informal) Also pig it. to live in squalor
14.
(transitive) (informal) to devour (food) greedily
n.

probably from Old English *picg, found in compounds, ultimate origin unknown. Originally “young pig” (the word for adults was swine). Apparently related to Low German bigge, Dutch big (“but the phonology is difficult” — OED). The meaning “oblong piece of metal” is first attested 1580s, on the notion of “large mass.” Applied to persons, usually in contempt, since 1540s; the derogatory slang meaning “police officer” has been in underworld slang since at least 1811.

The pigs frisked my panney, and nailed my screws; the officers searched my house, and seized my picklock keys. [“Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit and Pickpocket Eloquence,” London, 1811]

Another Old English word for “pig” was fearh, related to furh “furrow,” from PIE *perk- “dig, furrow” (cf. Latin porc-us “pig,” see pork). “This reflects a widespread IE tendency to name animals from typical attributes or activities” [Lass]. Synonyms grunter, porker are from sailors’ and fishermen’s euphemistic avoidance of uttering the word pig at sea, a superstition perhaps based on the fate of the Gadarene swine, who drowned. The image of a pig in a poke is attested from 1520s (see poke (n.3)). Flying pigs as a type of something unreal is from 1610s.

v.

1670s, “to huddle together,” from pig (n.). Related: Pigged; pigging. To pig out “eat voraciously” attested by 1979.

noun

verb

pig out: When you eat too much, you can say ”I pigged”

Related Terms

blind pig, like pigs in clover, male chauvinist pig, rent-a-pig

Read Also:

  • Pigalle

    [French pee-gal] /French piˈgal/ noun 1. .

  • Pig-bed

    noun, Metallurgy. 1. a bed of sand for molding pigs into which molten metal is poured. noun 1. a bed of sand in which pig iron is cast

  • Pigboat

    [pig-boht] /ˈpɪgˌboʊt/ noun, Older Slang. 1. a submarine. noun A submarine: the archaic ”pigboat” of the First World War (WWI Navy)

  • Pig-boiling

    noun, Metallurgy. 1. .

  • Pig dog

    noun 1. (NZ) a dog bred for hunting wild pigs in the bush


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