The idioms of this page are used to indicate that something is highly unlikely ever to happen, or that it will never happen. This phrase is thought to come from an old Scottish proverb.
An unofficial symbol of the city of Cincinnati, Ohio in the USA is a flying pig, partly a result of Cincinnati's associations with the pig trade during the 19th century.
| Language | Idiom |
|---|---|
| Arabic | (fil mushmush) في المشمش in the season of the apricot (a very short season) |
| Arabic (Algerian) | عندما يزهر الملح في بلادنا when salt blossoms in my country |
| Arabic (Egyptian) | لمّا توقف على عيدك When you stand on your hand |
| Arabic (Moroccan) | (ila tarat maza) الا طارت معزة If goats fly (nhar limando khoh) النهار لمعندو خوه The day doesn’t have a brother |
| Belarusian | Як воўк брахаць хвастом будзе
(Jak voŭk brahać hvastom budz′e) Like a wolf wagging its tail |
| Bosnian | Kad na vrbi rodi grožđe When grapes rippen on the willow |
| Bulgarian | На куково лято (Na kukovo ljato) In a cuckoo summer |
| Catalan | Quan les vaques volin When cows fly La setmana dels tres dijous The week with 3 Thursdays |
| Chinese | 除非太陽從西邊出來
[除非太阳从西边出来]
(chúfēi tàiyáng cóng xībiān chūlái) Unless the sun would rise from the West |
| Croatian | Kad na vrbi rodi grožđe When grapes rippen the on willow Na sveto nigdarjevo On St. Nobody's day |
| Czech | Až naprší a uschne After it rains and dries Až na svatého Dyndy / Na svatého Dyndy On the St. Elsewhen's day 'Dyndy' is a non-existent name in Czech, rhyming with the Czech word 'jindy', meaning some other time. |
| Danish | Når helvede fryser til is When hell freezes over Når der er to torsdage i en uge When there's two Thursdays in a week |
| Dutch | Wanneer Pasen en Pinksteren op één dag vallen When Easter and Whitsun fall on the same day Met Sint Juttemis With St. Juttemis (an imaginary saint) Als de kalveren op het ijs dansen If the calves dance on ice Als de uilen preken If the owls preach |
| English | When pigs fly / and pigs might fly When hell freezes over On a cold day in hell Not in a month of Sundays |
| Esperanto | En la triĵaŭda semajno On the week with three thursdays |
| Estonian | Kui sead lendavad When pig's fly |
| Finnish | Kun helvetti jäätyy When hell freezes over Kun lehmät lentävät When cows fly Kun lipputangot kukkivat When flagpoles bloom |
| French | Quand les poules auront des dents When chicken have teeth la semaine des 4 jeudis the week with 4 Thursdays - (French school children used to get Thursdays off) à la Saint Glinglin On Saint Glinglin's day (an imaginary saint) Dans la semaine des quatre jeudis In the week of the four Thursdays |
| German | Wenn Ostern und Pfingsten auf einen Tag fallen When Easter and Whistun fall on the same day Am Sankt Nimmerleinstag / an Sankt Nimmerlein On Saint Never's day / on Saint Never Wenn die Hölle zufriert When Hell freezes over Wenn es im Sommer schneit When it snows in summer |
| Hindi | sooraj pashchim se ugega When the sun will rise in the west |
| Hungarian | Majd ha piros hó esik When it's snowing red snowflakes Majd ha cigánygyerekek potyognak az égből When gipsy children are streaming from the sky Majd ha a pokol befagy When Hell freezes over |
| Irish | Nuair a thitfidh an spéir an talamh When the sky falls to the ground Nuair a thiocfaidh an lá inné ar ais When yesterday comes again |
| Italian | Alle calende greche By the Greek calendar Quando voleranno gli asini When donkeys will fly Quando Pasqua viene a maggio When Easter falls in May L'anno del mai / L'anno del mai e il mese del poi The year of never and the month of then Nella settimana dei due giovedì In the week with two thursdays Quanno pisceno le galline When hens piss (Roman dialect) |
| Korean | 귀신 씨나락 까먹는 소리 (gwishin ssinarak kkamuhkneun sori) The sound of a ghost eating rice seeds 개 풀 뜯어먹는 소리 (gaehpul tteuduhmuhkneun sori) The sound of a dog grazing |
| Latin | Ad kalendas Graecas on the Greek Kalends - unlike the Roman calendar, Kalends did not feature in the Greek calendar, so this phrase is roughly equivalent to "at British Thanksgiving" (Thanksgiving is not celebrated in the UK). |
| Latvian | Kad pūcei aste ziedēs When the owl's tail blossoms Kad slotaskātam lapas plauks When the broomstick's leaves open |
| Luxembourgish | Wann Päischten op Neijôrsdag fällt When Whistun and New Year's Day fall on the same day |
| Macedonian | Кога врбата ќе роди грозје (Koga vrbata ke rodi grozye) When grapes will grow on willows На куково лето (Na kukovo leto) In the year of the cuckoo |
| Malayalam | kākka malannu parakkum The crow will fly upside down kozhikku mula varumpol (When the hen has a breast) |
| Norwegian | Når griser flyr When pigs fly Når det snør i helvete When it's snowing in hell |
| Occitan | Quand las galinas pissaran When hens will pee |
| Odia | ଆକାଶ କଇଆଁ ଚିଲିକା ମାଛ (ākāso kaiā̃ chilikā māchho) The tamarind from the sky will be brought to cook the fish from the Chilika lake |
| Persian (Farsi) | (vaghte gole ney) وقت گل نی |
| Polish | Na Święty Nigdy on Saint Never's Day Kiedy mi kaktus na ręku wyrośnie When the cactus will grow on my hand |
| Portuguese | Quando a vaca tussa / quando a vaca tossir When the cow coughs No Dia de São Nunca On Saint Never's day |
| Romanian | la Paştele cailor at horses' Easter la Sfântu-aşteaptă on Saint Wait's day/at Saint Wait când o zbura porcul when the pig should fly când o face plopul pere when the linden tree bears pears când o face plopul pere şi răchita micşunele when the linden tree bears pears and the willow wall-flowers când mi-oi vedea ceafa when I'll see the back of my head La Paştele cailor şi la nunta vacilor At Easter of the horses and at the wedding of the cows |
| Russian | Когда рак на
горе свистнет
(Kogda rak na gore svisnet) When the crayfish on the hill whistles |
| Scots | Whaun twa munes in the lift sall shine When two moons in the sky shall shine |
| Serbian | Kad na vrbi rodi grožđe When grapes grow on willows |
| Slovenian | Ob svetem nikoli On Saint Never's Day |
| Spanish | Cuando las ranas críen pelo When frogs grow hair El día del arquero Goalkeeper's day Cuando llueva para arriba When it rains upwards |
| Swedish | När grisar flyger When pigs fly När helvetet fryser till is When hell freezes over Hear these phrases |
| Tagalog | Pagputi ng uwak When the crow turns white Pag-itim ng tagak When the heron turns black |
| Thai | ตอนเซเว่นปิด (ton sē wēn pit) when the 7-11 is closed ชาติหน้า (chāt nha) next lifetime |
| Turkish | Balık ağaca/kavağa çıkınca When a fish climbs a poplar tree |
| Ukrainian | коли рак на
горі свисне
(koly rak na gori svisne) when the crayfish on the hill whistles коли воша пчихне (koly voša pčyxne) when louse will sneeze |
| Vietnamese | (cho đến) Tết Marốc (until a) Moroccan Tet (Tet is Vietnamese New Year) |
| Welsh | Pan fydd moch yn hedfan When pigs fly Pan fydd uffern yn rhewi drosodd When hell freezes over Pan fydd 'Dolig yn yr haf, a gwsberis yn y gaeaf When Christmas will be in the summer and goosberries in winter |
| Yoruba | Ní ìgbátí adìẹ́ bá hu eyín When the chicken has teeth |
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It's all Greek to me | It's raining cats and dogs | As easy as falling off a log | A sandwich short of a picnic | It's small world | When pigs fly | Out of sight, out of mind | Crystal-clear | Penny Pinching | Practice makes perfect | The grass is always greener | As Snug as a Bug in a Rug
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