Thursday, January 30, 2014

Thursday Trivia: In a pig's eye!

In the past year, a few shelters in our city have housed the occasional potbellied pig - at least until its owner was located. (can you microchip a pig? we assume so.)

That gave us the idea for today's phrase: "In a pig's eye!"

Surprisingly to us, this phrase did not trace its roots back to a pig - nor any animal, in fact. Except for the human animal.

Portrait of a Saxon Princess, by Lucas
Cranach the Elder, 1517. Public Domain

The Oxford English Dictionary pins the origin of this phrase back to a word used in the late 14th century.

“Piga” was the Saxon word for “girl” and “pigsney” an endearment used for a beloved girl or sweetheart.

Probably the oldest use in print dates back to Chaucer’s “Miller’s Tale” in 1390:

“Hir shoes were laced on hir legges hye; She was a prymerole, a piggesnye, For any lord to leggen in his bedde.”

Later, though, the OED tells us the term began to be used in a derogatory fashion. And by the mid-1800’s its use was almost exclusively associated with an exclamation of derision and disbelief – the same as it is today.

We traced its first use in print based on the modern definition to a former soldier named J. Jacob Oswandel, who fought in the Mexican-American War. In his 1847 memoir, entitled “Notes on the Mexican War,” he wrote:

“Nicholas P. Trist, Commissioner, is on his way to negotiate with the Mexican government to make peace. How are you peace—peace in a pig's eye.”

Baby Potbellied pig - eyeing you!  Photo: Marianne Perdomo

____________
Sources:

Somerset Record Society, Volume IX, 1859. TAUNTON : FREDERICK MAY, HIGH-STREET LONDON : BELL & DALDY, FLEET-STREET. 1860.

Chaucer Miller's Tale, line 3268, c 1390.

The Oxford English Dictionary 

Word Origins
Online Etymology Dictionary
The Stack Exchange - English Questions

9 comments:

  1. Interesting. Years ago, before any of us were born, Mommy says that pot-bellied pigs lived across the street from us. We live in the city! It is a very long story involving going to court and lots of other stuff! Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo.

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  2. Wow! This is very interesting! You find out the most interesting things.
    Kisses
    Nellie

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  3. Wow never heard of a pigsney before. That really is new one for us. Have a tremendous Thursday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  4. OMD, you are amazing.. when my Human Brudder need'z help for hiz exam'z.. I'm so coming'z to youz.. We love potbellied pigs xxooxxx

    Mollie and Alfie

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  5. Wow! That really was a new one on me!!

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  6. Interesting. i love pot-belled pigs. They are so cute.

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  7. Very interesting! We didn't realize the saying went back so far.

    Yes, pigs can be microchipped. We aren't sure if it's common, though, so if a pig is found, we don't know if he or she is likely to be scanned for a chip!

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  8. Furry interesting !
    In Sweden the word Piga means a housemaid in older day's it was a girl/woman that worked at a farm.
    XOXO

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  9. Deer Faraway, Maxswell and Alley:
    Um, so what does it mean when Gloman says, "In a pig's hairy as - um, I'm not supposed to say ass."
    love,
    Waffles

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Coolio! A comment? For US?