/ pɪg; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
(also hog especially in NAmE ) an animal with pink, black or brown skin, short legs, a broad nose and a short tail which curls round itself. Pigs are kept on farms for their meat (called pork ) or live in the wild :
a pig farmer
Pigs were grunting and squealing in the yard.
—see also boar , sow , piglet , swine , guinea pig
2.
( informal , disapproving ) an unpleasant or offensive person; a person who is dirty or greedy :
Arrogant pig!
Don't be such a pig!
The greedy pig's eaten all the biscuits!
She made a pig of herself with the ice cream (= ate too much) .
He's a real male chauvinist pig (= a man who does not think women are equal to men) .
3.
( slang ) an offensive word for a police officer
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IDIOMS
- make a pig's ear (out) of sth
- (buy) a pig in a poke
- a pig of a sth
- pigs might fly
■ verb
( -gg- ) [ vn ] pig sth | pig yourself (on sth) ( BrE , informal ) to eat too much of sth :
I had a whole box of chocolates and pigged the lot!
Don't give me cakes—I'll just pig myself.
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PHRASAL VERBS
- pig out (on sth)
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : probably from the first element of Old English picbrēd acorn , literally pig bread (i.e. food for pigs).