why do people say that pigs can fly?

Answer 1

"When pigs fly" or variations of that mean something that will never happen.

An much older phrase was "when I see a black swan" (because all swans were white); this phrase died out after black swans were discovered in Australia in the late 1600s.

Answer 2

"When pigs fly" is an idiomatic way of saying that something will never happen. Pigs are heavy animals, without wings, and cannot possibly fly. So, "when pigs fly" is a time that will never come. The phrase is similar to others such as "when hell freezes over."

The idiom is apparently derived from a centuries-old Scottish proverb.

Answer 3

They don't say that pigs can fly they say "when pigs fly" for an answer to a question that they want to answer "never" to.

Answer 4

There's was a sit-com called "Mel's Diner", where one of the waitresses would say, "when pigs fly," to mean something was never going to happen. The expression caught on with many of those who saw it.

Answer 5

The intention is to express doubt or an unlikely event.
Example: " I'll believe that when pigs fly."

Answer 6

people do NOT say that pigs can fly. people use the phrase to express the impossibility or extreme unlikeliness of something. it is equivalent to saying "it will be a cold day in hell when that happens". this type of phrase exists in most languages and is referred to as an idiom.

Answer 7

they usually say when pigs fly, meaning it will never happen because pigs can't fly.

Answer 8

No -the correct phrase is "When pigs fly" they are just being sarcastic

Answer 9

The phrase you are referring toi is "When pigs fly". It is said in response to something that ain't happening! No way, no how.

Answer 10

With a large enough tube and plenty of explosives, I can make anything fly.