is this true? the first recorded use of the phrase “when pigs fly” in print is in a 1616 play by ben jonson called “the devil is an ass,” in which a character says, “when pigs fly, good-night!!”
Is it true that the first recorded use of the phrase “when pigs fly” in print is in a 1616 play by Ben Jonson called “The Devil is an Ass,” in which a character says, “when pigs fly, good-night”?
The phrase “when pigs fly” is an idiomatic expression used to denote something that is highly unlikely or impossible. It suggests that the event being talked about will never happen.
The origin of this phrase is not pinpointed to a specific document with certainty, and while it is sometimes attributed to Ben Jonson’s 1616 play The Devil is an Ass, there is no strong evidence to support that this precise wording was used in the play. Instead, this expression is more commonly believed to have evolved over time, with similar ideas appearing in various forms in literature and folklore.
In The Devil is an Ass, the phrase in that exact wording does not appear, although Ben Jonson’s works do include other creative and imaginative expressions. The idiomatic phrase as we use it today was likely popularized in English-speaking cultures at a later time.
Summary: Although often attributed to Ben Jonson’s play, there is no solid evidence that the exact phrase “when pigs fly” originates there. It likely evolved over time from similar expressions that were used metaphorically to denote impossibility.