pig

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Informal

n. a person who eats too much or is very messy.

n. a derogatory figurative term for an individual perceived as gluttonous, slovenly, or lacking in self-control.

“Don't be such a pig and leave some pizza for the rest of us.”

“His roommates complained that he was a total pig, leaving dirty dishes in the sink for weeks at a time.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Slang · Vulgar

n. an insulting word for a police officer.

n. a highly derogatory slang term for a law enforcement officer, often used in contexts of social or political protest.

“The protesters were shouting at the pigs standing near the gate.”

“The use of the term 'pig' to describe police officers gained significant cultural traction during the counterculture movements of the late 1960s.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Engineering Technical

n. a large block of metal, usually iron or lead, that has been poured into a mold.

n. an oblong mass of iron or lead that has been cast in a mold for easy transport or further processing.

“The factory workers moved the heavy pigs of lead onto the truck.”

“Molten iron is tapped from the blast furnace and cast into pigs before being shipped to the steel mill for refinement.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Engineering Technical

n. a tool used to clean or check the inside of a long pipe.

n. a device inserted into a pipeline to perform cleaning, inspection, or batching operations without stopping the flow of the product.

“The engineers sent a pig through the oil pipe to look for leaks.”

“Modern 'smart pigs' are equipped with sophisticated sensors that can detect internal corrosion or structural weaknesses in high-pressure gas lines.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

v. to eat a lot of food very quickly.

v. to consume food in a greedy or gluttonous manner; frequently used in the phrasal verb 'pig out'.

“We decided to pig out on popcorn and chocolate while watching the movie.”

“After finishing the marathon, she felt she had earned the right to pig out on a massive burger and fries.”

C2 · Proficiency Engineering Technical

v. to clean a pipe using a special tool.

v. to perform a maintenance operation on a pipeline using a mechanical device known as a pig.

“They need to pig the line once a month to keep it running smoothly.”

“The contractor was hired to pig the entire offshore section of the pipeline to ensure compliance with safety regulations.”