Being flightless creatures, the idiom “When Pigs Fly” is a great way to say something’s never going to happen. The remark dates back centuries, and may derive from a Scottish proverb - but no one is quite certain. And technically speaking, some pigs do actually fly.

In 1909, the first recorded British cargo flight took off, carrying a piglet plucked from a local farm. The pig was tied into a wicker basket attached to the aircraft with a sign proclaiming: ‘I AM THE FIRST PIG TO FLY.’ There was also that time that Pink Floyd’s giant inflatable pig broke free during the cover shoot for their 1977 album ‘Animals’. On the other hand, we’re still waiting for hell to freeze over, but that’s likely to happen on the fourth of never.

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