to act like a pig
1
8.0
- idiom
- Offensive
:
comportarse como un cerdo (ofensivo, informal)
- You act like a pig so you don't sound whipped?
Examples
-
Of course he acted like a pig, honey," she explained to the husband, "but so did Mozart in his day.
Fiction book (2002) -
Just because we're camping doesn't mean you get to act like a pig.
-
Because you act like a pig.
Fiction book (1999) -
But if you're going to act like a pig...
-
At first, it was funny the way she was acting like a pig or wolf, but then she wouldn't stop.
Fiction book (1992) -
I'm convinced that people come to the office and act like pigs because they don't have to clean it up.
Blog text (3) -
If he could just go easy and stop being rude and seemingly act like a pig on sets, and if people could just give him projects with a lot of special effects, for example, where he would be great, it would help him...
Blog text (27) -
That's what they did in their own homes when mommy and daddy made them clean their room and asked them to stop acting like pigs in the house.
Blog text (19) -
She always acts like a pig at the dinner table, leaving a mess for everyone else to clean up.
-
When he acts like a pig during meetings, it makes it hard for others to focus on the conversation.
Synonyms
33
5.3
To take or use more than your fair share
7
7.5
Eat a very large amount of food without control
7
7.9
To eat a lot in a greedy way
5
7.8
To eat in a very messy and greedy way
4
8.8
To take more than your fair share of food or things
1
7.6
To eat or drink too much
To eat very quickly and without caring about manners
Eating a lot and not leaving enough for others
To eat too much food quickly and greedily
To live in a very dirty and untidy way in your home without caring about cleaning
To treat other people rudely and think only about yourself
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase composes transparently from 'act' (behave) + 'like' (similar to) + 'pig' (animal/insult), so a learner who knows the words can infer it criticizes messy, greedy, or rude behaviour. Animal-based insults of this kind are common across languages, so the metaphorical extension is obvious rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Act like a pig may come from watching pigs at feeding time. Pigs eat fast, push food everywhere and make a mess, so the phrase now means 'to behave in a greedy or messy way'.