English · Greetings & Phrases
when pigs fly
/wen pɪɡz flaɪ/
[/wen pɪɡz flaɪ/]
never
Intermediatephrase
Definition
Used to say that something will never happen.
Example
He'll tidy his room when pigs fly; I've been asking him for three years now.
He'll tidy his room when pigs fly; I've been asking him for three years now.
Etymology
A centuries-old impossibility idiom; an early form appears in 17th-century proverb collections.
How & Where It’s Used
Humorous and informal for dismissing something as impossible.