# Sweating Like a Pig **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 31, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017 "2003-12-31T21:57:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mellenkra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9a28c/32.png) [@Mellenkra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mellenkra)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/1 "2003-12-31T21:57:31Z")
I just saw the very familiar phrase, “sweating like a pig”, with the explanation that pigs in fact, do not sweat. I was slightly surprised at this since the phrase is used so much so I searched the Straight Dope archives. I couldn’t find any reference to it, except one article where the phrase was actually used. Upon using google, I found many pages confirming that pigs don’t in fact have sweat glands and thus don’t sweat. Instead they wallow in the mud to cool down. I suppose Cecil just hasn’t gotten around to this one! ---
**Author:** ![Patr100](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Patr100](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patr100)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/2 "2004-01-01T00:52:21Z")
Yes, and contrary to popular belief they are not stupid and dirty but intelligent and are prefer to be clean like most of us, except when they are trying to cool off. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/3 "2004-01-01T01:19:26Z")
Hose down a pig and you’ll make a friend for life. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/4 "2004-01-01T01:43:08Z")
I always heard it as “Sweating like a stuck pig.” ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/5 "2004-01-01T03:32:56Z")
I’ve heard “Screaming like a stuck pig”. Usually referring to somebody complaining a lot. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/6 "2004-01-01T03:35:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mangeorge \* > \*\*I’ve heard “Screaming like a stuck pig”. > \*\* Squealing like a pig caught under a gate is more true to life. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/7 "2004-01-01T03:50:44Z")
Yeah, “Squealing”, not “screaming”. Stuck, as in caught. Not stabbed. Sorry. Been a city boy too long. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/8 "2004-01-01T04:00:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mangeorge \* > \*\*Yeah, “Squealing”, not “screaming”. Stuck, as in caught. Not stabbed. > Sorry. Been a city boy too long. 😉 \*\* What is funny is to watch a pig handle an electric fence. It doesn’t always happen, but frequently if they really want to get to the other side they push into the wire, squealing like a set of 1950 Ford brakes. But they just keep pushing until they finally break the wire and go on in. Very intelligent critters. My uncle had a cattle guard installed so that he wouldn’t always have to be opening a gate to get to the fields. The cattle and horses, of course, wouldn’t cross. A bunch of painted lines on paving will often stop them cold. But a sow came moseying along and walked across like it was a red carpet put down for her benefit. ---
**Author:** ![lk1932](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/aeb1de/32.png) [@lk1932](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lk1932)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/9 "2004-01-01T04:15:04Z")
I always thought the phrase was, “bleeding like a stuck pig” (or hog). It seems to me that years ago pigs were stuck with a knife to bleed them. Don’t know how they do it today. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/10 "2004-01-01T04:18:34Z")
A cat will look down to a man. A dog will look up to a man. But a pig will look you straight in the eye and see his equal - -Winston Churchill ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/11 "2004-01-01T05:15:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lk1932 \* > \*\*I always thought the phrase was, “bleeding like a stuck pig” (or hog). It seems to me that years ago pigs were stuck with a knife to bleed them. Don’t know how they do it today. \*\* I’ve seen pigs (and calves) bashed in the head with a sledge, or shot, then their throats cut (sliced) to bleed them. Never seen anyone poke one with a knife. Different strokes (sorry) for different folks, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![woolly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ebca7d/32.png) [@woolly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woolly)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/12 "2004-01-01T05:33:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by David Simmons \* > What is funny is to watch a pig handle an electric fence. Concur. At one stage I was working out the country. One of the local schools (Yanco) was a substantial working property. They used to run their dry sows unhoused with the dairy herd. If the lead sow decided she was going to get to the other side of the single strand electric fence that controlled the dairy cows she’d take a 10-15m run at the wire and about half way there would start “squealing like a stuck pig” (sort of on the presumption “shit, this is going to hurt”.) But as soon as she cleared the wire, whether zapped or not, she’d resume contentedly foraging. The process would be repeated in near single file for the other 20-50 in the group. ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/13 "2004-01-01T12:34:51Z")
Sorry to continue the hijaack, but I have also only heard the “bleeding like a stuck pig” variant. Squealing like a pig I have heard, but without the stuck. Anyone know where the “sweating like a pig” phrase comes from? Is it just another example of the misconception that pigs are dirty? ---
**Author:** ![Vision\_of\_Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Vision\_of\_Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vision_of_Love)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/14 "2004-01-01T14:58:28Z")
Maybe because overweight people sweat more often/easily and pigs = fat? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/15 "2004-01-01T15:02:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mangeorge \* > \*\*Hose down a pig and you’ll make a friend for life. \*\* I just have to say where else but the SDMB would you see wisdom like this. ---
**Author:** ![Ice97531](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@Ice97531](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice97531)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/16 "2004-01-02T06:32:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mangeorge \* > \*\*Hose down a pig and you’ll make a friend for life. \*\* Pig = Friend? … Pig = Food! ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/17 "2004-01-02T07:32:05Z")
What? No **Deliverance** jokes?😉 ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/18 "2004-01-02T08:43:06Z")
[Candles](http://www.demonbuster.com/candles.html) made from pig-fat attract demons. It’s all right there in [Luke 8:33](http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&passage=Luke+8%3A33&version=KJV), people! ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/19 "2004-01-03T03:45:50Z")
I guess I might as well make _some_ non-smart-alecky remark about this subject. I’m not sure I buy “stuck pig” as a reference to a happy little porker stuck under a gate, **mangeorge**. The term “pigsticker” has been in use since the 19th century, in both the sense of a spear (or later, a long knife) purpose-built for hunting wild pigs, and for people who hunt wild pigs. (More recently, of course, it’s been used by low persons to describe a blade which might be used offensively on an officer of the law or a prison-guard, but that’s not really germane to the issue.) Anyway, I think that a “stuck pig” is clearly one that is bleeding out, not one that is having difficulty extricating himself from a tight spot, whatever the Pollyannas of the world may try to put over on you. I’m not sure when that particular bit of idiom first appeared, but I’d uh, _stake_ my reputation as a logophile on it predating the migration of the primary meaning of “stick” to the connection with adhesion or immobility. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017/20 "2004-01-04T00:42:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ice97531 \* > \*\*Pig = Friend? > > … > Pig = Food! \*\* So; friend = food? 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweating-like-a-pig/222017.md?page=2)