The first recorded use of the phrase "when pigs fly" in print is in Is this true a 1616 play by Ben Jonson called "The Devil is an," in which a character says, "When pigs fly, good-night!"

General
1

The first recorded use of the phrase “when pigs fly” in print is in Is this true a 1616 play by Ben Jonson called “The Devil is an,” in which a character says, “When pigs fly, good-night!!”

2

Is the phrase “when pigs fly” first recorded in Ben Jonson’s 1616 play “The Devil is an Ass”?

Answer:

The claim that the phrase “when pigs fly” was first recorded in Ben Jonson’s 1616 play “The Devil is an Ass” is not entirely accurate. While Ben Jonson’s works are highly influential in English literature and he is known for clever dialogue, this exact phrase does not appear the way it is commonly used today in his play.

Context and Origin of “When Pigs Fly”:

  1. Ben Jonson and “The Devil is an Ass”

    • Jonson’s satirical play The Devil is an Ass (1616) does not include the modern idiomatic expression “when pigs fly.” The phrase “good-night” is found in the text, but no record confirms that “when pigs fly” is used.
    • In fact, this exact expression had not evolved into its current idiomatic meaning by Jonson’s era.

  2. Possible Mistake in Interpretation

    • LectureNotes might be referencing this incorrectly or misconstruing Jonson’s words. It is possible that there is a similar-dialogue or metaphor in Jonson’s work which LectureNotes interpreted as related to flying pigs. However, this does not mean “when pigs fly” originated here.

  3. Recorded Use of the Idiomatic Expression

    • The phrase “when pigs fly” is an idiom meaning something that will never happen. It arose much later, most likely during the 19th-century in English-speaking countries like Britain and America. Some versions even originate in much older expressions like “when hogs fly.”
    • While tracing its exact origin is challenging, versions of flying pigs in figurative language have appeared in folklore and literature much older than Jonson. However, no direct evidence places Jonson as the originator of this specific expression.

  4. Historical Citations

    • Pigs (or other animals flying) were historically used in English literature to denote incredible or impossible events. For example:
      • Lewis Carroll, in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), includes animals flying as fantastical impossibilities.
      • Similar idiomatic expressions are found in Medieval European texts, with variations like “when frogs grow feathers.”
    • The modern usage “when pigs fly” gained popularity much later as a humorous way to signify impossibility.

Final Verdict:

The claim that “when pigs fly” first appears in Ben Jonson’s “The Devil is an Ass” lacks sufficient evidence to be considered true. Jonson’s play might include something related to metaphorical or impossible events, but the precise idiom as we know it dates later in linguistic history. It would be inaccurate to credit Jonson directly with its origin.

Additional Notes:

If you have the full text of Jonson’s The Devil is an Ass, you could analyze it for exact proof of the expression. Until then, more linguistics experts argue it appears in its modern sense much later in English usage.

Let me know if you’d like me to explore more examples or sources for idioms like this!

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