Stink like a pig
A classic example of hogwash. To say this would insult
any average pig. Pigs are very clean animals and have
virtually no odour.
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Sweating like a pig
Pigs do not sweat, they have no sweat glands - this is
why they like to roll in the mud to cool off.
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Eat like a pig
This isn't hogwash. A pig does love to eat and it's not
the prettiest sight either.
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Can't make a silk purse from
a sow's ear
This is apparently a broken translation of "can't make
a silk purse from sousier". Sousier (from the old,
French coin the Sou) is a rough, French purse peasants used
to keep their coins in; the phrase says you cannot make
something quality from something rough and cheap.
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Make a pig's ear out of it
I imagine this is derived from a cooking or sewing
procedure which involved the subject curling up in some
manner.
However, it may be something to so with the sow's ear saying
mentioned above. Perhaps there is some sort of connection.
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Pig headed
What a load of hogwash! If one were pigheaded they would
barge past you regardless of what you were doing to either
role in the mud or bury their head in a trough of slop....
Okay, so maybe this might make a little sense.
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Police - pigs
Back in 1809, Sir Robert Peel entered the House of
Commons in London - he developed a passion for Sandy Back
pigs found in Ireland and began to breed them in Tamworth.
Soon, these pigs were known as Tamworth pigs. Pig slang was
commonplace in Tamworth because of this, it was in 1829 that
the relation to police came into it.
Politicians were concerned about the way London was policed
and Sir Robert Peel changed things - his changes resulted in
the formation of the Metropolitan Police. This is why police
are referred to as 'Bobbies' or 'Peelers'; they were Bobby's
boys...
Due to the pig nature that Tamworth had become, the police
suffered the same fate as other Tamworth products did: They
became related to pigs.
A policeman once retorted to being called a pig with:
"P.I.G - Pride, Integrity, and Guts!" (proudly),
perhaps he took this from the bedroom door in the film
'Stand By Me'.
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Road Hog
This takes me to my "Pig headed" point again.
Pigs do know what they want and not much will stop them
getting it. This, however, does not justify calling them pig
ignorant and rude. The word hog takes the meaning of over
indulgent, or to take more than one's share. The
relationship to the pig is clear.
I'll try and wrap this up by saying: "Pigs are not
rude, but they are over indulgent and will not stop before
they have what they want."
So you can decide what sayings are appropriate knowing if
your use of the word 'pig' or 'hog' is appropriate and
politically correct.
Interestingly enough, the word hog is also used to describe
large motorcycles - Harley Davidson, I believe, used the
term 'hog' as a trademark for their motorcycles.
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Hogwash
This term is acceptable, the word means "absolute
rubbish". And that is the etymology behind this word.
Wash, in this sense, is "swill"; which is partly
liquid waste from the kitchen. And of course this is the
food for the pigs.
So soon enough, the term hogwash was applied to anything
that was completely worthless, absolute rubbish.
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Pigs Might Fly
The first written record of this saying meaning 'unlikely'
seems to be that of the 1586 edition of John Withal’s
English-Latin dictionary for children; “pigs fly in the
air with their tails forward" was the Scottish proverb.
A more well known early usage of this phrase would be from
Alice in Wonderland where Alice says "I have a right to
think" and the Duchess replies; "As much right as
pigs have to fly".
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Male Chauvinist Pig
Nicholas Chauvin was a fictional character in a play by
Hippolyte Taine. Chauvin was excessively devoted to
Napoleon, this led to the term 'chauvinist' being used to
describe those who are extremely patriotic. Over time, the
meaning changed to define those who believe males are
superior.
The term is especially suitable as Animal Farm's Napoleon
was a pig.
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