PhrasesHub

Make a pig's ear of

    Definitions

      • to do something very badly or mess something up
        Express disappointment or disapproval of someone's actions or performance

    Examples of Make a pig's ear of

    • She tried to sew a complicated dress for the wedding, but she ended up making a pig's ear of it.

      The phrase "make a pig's ear of" is used to describe a situation where one messes up or ruins something that was supposed to be perfect. In this example, the woman was attempting to sew a beautiful dress for the wedding, but she ended up making a huge mistake or mess, making it look very ugly or incorrect. The image of a pig's ear is used here to illustrate the disastrous outcome of her efforts. Overall, this idiom highlights the failure to execute a task efficiently and accurately.

    • She accidentally spilled red wine all over the brand new white tablecloth, effectively making a pig's ear of it.

      The expression "make a pig's ear of" is used to describe a situation where someone has made a mess of things due to careless or clumsy actions. In this case, the woman spilled wine on a clean tablecloth, ruining its appearance and making it look like a messy and disorganized animal's ear, which is often seen as an undesirable or unsightly feature.

    • The chef burnt the dinner so completely that it was impossible to salvage. In the end, he'd made a real pig's ear of the meal.

      In this situation, the chef has ruined the meal by overcooking or burning it beyond recognition. The expression "make a pig's ear of" is used to describe the result of such extreme incompetence, where the dish has become completely uncookable, inedible, and ruined to such an extent that it would be better off served to pigs instead of humans.

    • The team fumbled the handoff, resulting in a fumble and a turnover for the other team. The coach was close to exploding: they'd really made a pig's ear of that play!

      In this context, the team made a mistake during the handoff, resulting in a fumble and a turnover for the opposing team. The coach was extremely disappointed with the team's performance, and felt that their mistake was so serious and impactful that it was tantamount to a complete and utter mess, as if they'd torn their play apart and destroyed it into a shape that no one could recognize.

    • The student spent hours on the essay, but forgot to save their work. When the computer crashed, they lost the entire thing, leaving them to rewrite the entire thing from scratch. The teacher looked on in pity: they'd really made a pig's ear of their writing schedule.

      In this final example, the student worked diligently on a writing assignment, but then failed to save their progress. When the computer malfunctioned, they lost all of their progress, forcing them to go back and redo the work. The teacher expressed sympathy for the student's situation, since they'd effectively torn their progress apart into a disorganized and unhelpful mess that would require significant effort to rebuild.


    Conclusion

    The idiom "make a pig's ear of" is used when someone has done something very badly or has made a mess of something. It is often used to express disappointment or disapproval of someone's actions or performance. It can be used in a variety of situations, such as when someone has failed at a task, made a mistake, or created a mess.

    Origin of "Make a pig's ear of"

    The origin of the idiom "make a pig's ear of" is not entirely clear, but it is thought to have originated in British English. The phrase likely comes from the idea that pigs are messy eaters and often make a mess with their food. This imagery is then applied to someone who has made a mess of a task or situation, likening their actions to the messy eating habits of a pig. The idiom has been in use for many years and is still commonly used in both spoken and written English today.

    Examples:

    • She really made a pig's ear of that presentation.
    • I made a complete pig's ear of trying to fix the sink.