pigs might fly
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Ironically expressing disbelief.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
' Pigs might fly, ' the paramedic muttered, and fastened the collar at last.
But this is like suggesting that pigs might fly.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Irony (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “pigs might fly” mean?
Ironically expressing disbelief.
Is “pigs might fly” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.