# when pigs fly

Pronunciation: say "wen pigz FLY" /wɛn ˌpɪɡz ˈflaɪ/

## Idiom

1. Used to say that some hoped-for or promised event will never actually happen.
   - Simple: Used to say that something will never happen.
   - _My brother says he'll pay me back when pigs fly._
   - _The boss will hand out raises when pigs fly, the workers grumbled._

## Origin

The phrase plays on the fact that pigs do not have wings and cannot fly, so something said to happen 'when pigs fly' will never happen.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/when-pigs-fly (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).