Make a pig of yourself
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Eat too much, especially in a visibly greedy or self-indulgent way. Informal and explicitly disapproving. It is often self-deprecating, but directed at someone else it can be insulting or shame eating and body size. It refers to overeating, not indulgence in every possible sense. Regional use: Widespread informal English.
Origin
The expression makes a person figuratively into a pig because pigs have long been stereotyped in English as greedy, dirty, or excessive. Pig was being used contemptuously of people by the 16th century and the verb could mean to act or live like a pig by the 17th, but the exact idiom is not tied to a documented 1930s story or a 1940s Times report. Its formation is a straightforward extension of that older animal comparison, and its precise first use remains uncertain.
Research Sources
Variants
- Make a pig of oneself
- Make a pig out of yourself
Usage Examples
- I made a pig of myself at lunch and had no appetite for dinner.
- There is plenty for everyone, so enjoy the cakes without making a pig of yourself.
- He regretted making a pig of himself at the buffet before the long coach journey.