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But pig can also has a much nicer connotation, such as when you have a piggybank to put coins in. I remember I had one made of plaster as a child, but I don't remember how much I could save in the tummy of that piggybank - or where the savings went.

Piggy is a kiddy word for pig but it is not always used by children only, as we see in the caption "Piggy in the muddle", in which firefighters rescue a pig that accidentally got stuck in a muddy drain close to the banks of the River Hamble in southern England.

This caption is taken from the phrase "piggy in the middle" and the word "middle" is intentionally changed to "muddle", meaning a state of untidiness or disorder.

"Piggy in the middle" is a children's game in which two players throw a ball to each other, while the third player stands in the middle and tries to catch it.

The grandmother was sitting at the window watching her grandchildren playing piggy in the middle in the yard.

 

But sometimes you just happen to be pig(gy) in the middle, which is not at all fun because you are unwillingly involved in or affected by a quarrel between two other people.

Don't assign me to work with George and Sandy anymore. They had a lot of disagreements working on the previous project and I've had enough of being piggy in the middle!

Maybe working with George and Sandy is still not as bad as working with a pig-headed person, because this guy will just refuse to change his mind about anything.

When you call someone pig-headed, you are also expressing your disapproval towards that person.

Those people are just old-fashioned and pig-headed; you are wasting your time trying to make them use a computer instead of a typewriter.

 

When I was young I was rather obese because I often pigged myself or made a pig of myself or, to be straight, I ate a lot. And because of that my skinny brother would be upset whenever he found that I had eaten all the sweets and say to me, "You pig! You have eaten all the sweets again!" Not very nice but I can't deny the accusation. But don't worry, my behaviour has already improved. By the way, the phrasal verb of this behaviour is "to pig out".

Nathan made a pig of himself at the Thanksgiving party; how embarrassing!

And to end the piggy group of expressions, let's talk about "a pig in a poke".

Experienced shoppers will never buy anything that is a pig in a poke because they cannot examine it or find out any information or its condition before they purchase it, so it may be or may not be a good thing to buy.

I don't want to risk buying a pig in a poke.

 

Complete the sentences with the expressions explained:

1. You should have known that if old Jack wants to do something, no one can change his mind, he is … .

2. That shop never displays their goods, anybody wanting to buy anything from them has to buy … .

3. Do you think it is fun for me being …  when Mum and Dad quarrelled?

4. Children, make sure you behave at the reception and do not … !

5. Go get Sam, so we can play …  together.

Answers: 1. pig-headed, 2. a pig in a poke, 3. piggy in the middle, 4. make a pig of yourselves/pig yourself out, 5. piggy in the middle

By Parnsap Yomanage