if pigs had wings, they would fly

English

Alternative forms

• if pigs had wings, they could fly; if pigs had wings, they'd fly

Proverb

if pigs had wings, they would fly

1. (colloquial) Expresses skepticism toward a hypothetical argument by another.
   • 2006 June 10, Peter Steinfels, “Will Same-Sex Marriage Collide With Religious Liberty?”, in The New York Times‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 5 May 2011:

     Asked by a reporter for The Chicago Tribune whether a conservative Christian college would risk its tax-exempt status by refusing to admit a legally married gay couple to married-student housing, Cass Sunstein, a constitutional scholar at the University of Chicago Law School who had not been at the Becket conference, answered, "Sure — and if pigs had wings, they would fly." He dismissed the idea as a scenario "generated by advocacy groups trying to scare people."

Usage notes

• Often used shortened form: if pigs had wings or with variant second clauses, especially they could fly.

Derived terms

• if pigs had wings

Related terms

• pigs might fly
• when pigs fly

See also

• if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle
• if wishes were horses, beggars would ride

References

• “if pigs had wings, they would/could fly” in Farlex Dictionary of Idioms, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2024; reproduced on Idioms and phrases, TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2026.