pig iron
Preserved but no longer current.
Iron cast in oblong ingots now called pigs but formerly sows. Sow is now ap- plied to the main channel in which the molten liquid runs, the smaller branches which diverge from it being called pigs, and it is the iron from these which is called pig iron.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “pig iron” mean?
Iron cast in oblong ingots now called pigs but formerly sows. Sow is now ap- plied to the main channel in which the molten liquid runs, the smaller branches which diverge from it being called pigs, and it is the iron from these which is called pig iron.
Is “pig iron” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.