The Archive

Etymology Journal · B

Bleeding like a stuck pig

Meaning

Used to describe someone who is bleeding profusely after an injury. It is a gruesome but common rural metaphor used for anything that is leaking or losing fluid at a high rate.

Graphic, rustic

Used in a sentence

  • He scraped his knee on the gravel and was bleeding like a stuck pig.
  • The radiator was leaking coolant like a stuck pig all over the driveway.
  • Look at that cut, you are bleeding like a stuck pig, let us get you a bandage.

The backstory

This comes from old farm practices regarding the slaughter of livestock. It is a harsh, graphic expression that has lingered in the vernacular despite being quite grim.

Heard in

The South, rural areas

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