pig1

[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.
a person of piglike character, behavior, or habits, as one who is gluttonous, very fat, greedy, selfish, or filthy.
5.
Slang. a slatternly, sluttish woman.
6.
Disparaging. a police officer.
7.
Machinery. any tool or device, as a long-handled brush or scraper, used to clear the interior of a pipe or duct.
8.
Metallurgy.
  1. an oblong mass of metal that has been run while still molten into a mold of sand or the like, especially such a mass of iron from a blast furnace.
  2. one of the molds for such masses of metal.
  3. metal in the form of such masses.
  4. pig iron.
verb (used with object), pigged, pigging.
9.
to mold (metal) into pigs.
10.
Informal. to eat (something) quickly; gulp:
He pigged three doughnuts and ran off to school.
verb (used without object), pigged, pigging.
11.
to bring forth pigs; farrow.
Verb phrases
12.
pig out, Slang. to overindulge in eating:
We pigged out on pizza last night.
Idioms
13.
on the pig's back, Australian Slang. in a fortunate position.
14.
pig it,
  1. to live like a pig, especially in dirt.
  2. to lead a disorganized, makeshift life; live without plan or pattern.
Origin
1175-1225; Middle English pigge young pig, with doubled consonant appropriate to terms for smaller animals (cf. dog, frog1) but with no obvious relations; almost certainly not akin to Low German, Dutch big(ge), Middle Dutch vigghe young pig, which involve further obscurities; if Danish pige, Swedish piga maid, young girl are compared, perhaps < ON word meaning “young, small,” applied in Scand to girls but in OE to swine

pig2

[pig] /pɪg/
noun, Scot. and North England
1.
an earthenware crock, pot, pitcher, or jar.
2.
potter's clay; earthenware as a material.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English pygg < ?
Examples from the web for pig
  • And if they somehow perish, the financial impact on a poor family is far less devastating than the loss of a cow or pig.
  • Lipstick on a pig, with animal cruelty thrown in for good measure.
  • Instead, to their complete surprise, they dug up the ample remains of pig bones.
  • Whatever it's history, it's now a secular holiday where families and friends gather together and pig out.
  • The war allegedly started because a foraging pig ruined a garden.
  • Scientists have discovered how to convert abundant, cheap, and smelly pig manure into crude oil.
  • Other health threats, such as antibiotic-resistant strains of staphylococcus aureus, have emerged from pig farms as well.
  • For apparently the first time, scientists have created a fourth-generation pig clone.
  • Outside, the pink pig floats in the gray air, defying the burden of its symbolism.
  • And then there is head cheese which is similar to souse but involves, well, the pig head.
British Dictionary definitions for pig

pig

/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.
  1. a mass of metal, such as iron, copper, or lead, cast into a simple shape for ease of storing or transportation
  2. a mould in which such a mass of metal is formed
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
See also pig out
Word Origin
C13 pigge, of obscure origin
Word Origin and History for pig
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.

Slang definitions & phrases for pig

pig

noun
  1. A police officer (1811+ Underworld)
  2. A glutton (1890s+)
  3. A promiscuous woman, esp one who is blowsy and unattractive: spoke of a pig he had recently picked up (1927+)
  4. A racehorse, esp an inferior one; beetle: why the hell that pig didn't win (1940s+ Horse racing)
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


Idioms and Phrases with pig

pig

also see: