wrestle with a pig

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

To engage in a struggle or argument that is dirty or unproductive

Literally: to physically wrestle with a pig
Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

He tried to debate with his opponent, but it was like wrestling with a pig

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.

Common questions

What does “wrestle with a pig” mean?

To engage in a struggle or argument that is dirty or unproductive Literally: to physically wrestle with a pig

Is “wrestle with a pig” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.