in a pig's eye

An exclamation of emphatic denial, dissent, or disbelief that something will happen or be true. A: "I'm pretty sure we can restore this old junker in a week. B: "In a pig's eye! That will take months, if not longer!" Step down from the board of directors? In a pig's eye I will!

Rur. Nonsense! (Use caution with ass.) Tom: I wasn't going to steal it. I was just looking at it. Jane: In a pig's eye! I saw you put it in your pocket! Mary: Bill says he's sorry and he'll never yell at me again if I take him back. Jane: In a pig's ass! He's made those promises a hundred times before. Tom: I thought you said I could keep this. Charlie: In a pig's ear! I said you could borrow it.

Under no condition, not at all, as in In a pig's eye he'll pay me back, or You think he's competent? In a pig's eye! This expression, a euphemism for in a pig's ass, is generally used as a strong negative. [Slang; late 1800s]

Under no condition; never.

Never! Several sources have been suggested for this Americanism from the late nineteenth century. One holds that it is rhyming slang for “when pigs fly,” which of course is never. Another, more probable theory is that it is a euphemism for “in a pig’s ass,” which came from a bawdy song. Whatever the true origin, it has been on its way to becoming a cliché since about 1950.

Untrue. “Eye” is a rhyme for “lie.” “Pig” has an unpleasant connotation. Put them together, and you have an expression for something that's patently false. The phrase was most often heard as a rejoinder to a remark that the hearer believes is untrue. To the statement that “The Cubs will win the World Series next year” might well be the response, “In a pig's ear.” Or, to use another porcine phrase, “When pigs fly.”