Idioms simply explained
Driving pigs through the village: What the saying really means
“There's another pig being driven through the village.” You've heard that before, but don't know the exact meaning? We clarify.
12/21/2024 – 3:00 a.m|Reading time: 3 minutes
The saying about the pig remains in our language to this day and yet not everyone knows where it actually comes from. There is also little information about this, but we have summarized it and explained what is behind it.
It is speculated that the old saying can be traced back to the Middle Ages. There is said to have been a disgraceful punishment there. The punished person was dressed up as a pig and then paraded through the streets for amusement. Of course, it is no longer possible to understand today whether that was really the case. What is exciting, however, is how many proverbs from times long past have survived into the here and now.
Other interpretations locate the saying in rural regions. In villages where there was little going on, a sow in the village could provide some variety. She was driven through the village when she was sold to another farmer or taken to the slaughterhouse. A bit of a change from the otherwise boring everyday life, as the pig could make a lot of noise.
To this day we literally drive pigs through the village. It is spoken of when a topic is talked up or exaggerated. Trends and hype can also cause people to go crazy.
Let's take the current hype about Dubai chocolate. Everyone talks about it, many want to conquer a piece of it for themselves. Here a person standing could sigh and say: “It’s just another pig being driven through the village, next week it’ll be a new one.”
Sometimes the saying is modified and used differently. Here are a few examples of how you might come across this saying today:
Even though “the pig” has been around for a few years now and at least the expression was already around the village in the Middle Ages, the saying is still familiar to most people today. And even if we don't know 100 percent where it comes from, it's interesting how long it has survived in common usage. By the way: The English proverb “a storm in a teapot” can be used synonymously and without any fuss.
