Pigs might fly: That’s impossible!

In Chinese, if we feel that a certain suggestion is absurd, bizarre or impossible to implement, we will often ridicule the other person: "Ah, unless the sun comes out from the west!". In English, a similar meaning can be expressed by the slang "There's a pig flying by!" (literally: the pig flew up).

Obviously, unless a miracle happens, the stupid pig will definitely not be able to fly. In other words, "What you say is absolutely impossible to happen." According to the etymology, the slang Pigs might fly or There's a pig flying by comes from the Scottish proverb "Pigs fly in the air with their tails forward" (literal meaning: pigs fly upside down in the air; figurative meaning: absolutely impossible to happen). The proverb says: Even if a miracle happens and the pig flies up, if the pig is allowed to fly upside down, it will definitely not happen 100% of the time.

Next time if a friend makes some ridiculous suggestions, you can wave your hand towards the window and exclaim: "Look! There's a pig flying by!"