Is this true? The first recorded use of the phrase “when pigs fly” in print is in a 1616 play by Ben Jonson called “The Devil is an Ass,” in which a character says, “When pigs fly, good-night!!”ResponseResponse AResponse BYes, that’s true! The phrase “when pigs fly” indeed appears in Ben Jonson’s 1616 play The Devil is an Ass and was said during the second act in a conversation between Fitzdottrel and Pug. The phrase was first used to express skepticism or disbelief, suggesting that something is as unlikely to happen as the fanciful idea of pigs flying. This usage is often cited as one of the earliest instances of the phrase in print.The claim that the phrase “when pigs fly” was first recorded in Ben Jonson’s 1616 play “The Devil is an Ass” is not accurate. There is no evidence from the available texts and summaries of “The Devil is an Ass” that includes the phrase “when pigs fly” or any similar expression.Response A

Response A is closer to correct. The expression (or a close variant) is attested in Ben Jonson’s 1616 play The Devil Is an Ass; authoritative reference works (for example the Oxford English Dictionary and phrase-history sources) cite that play as the earliest printed instance.

Explanation

  • Many modern dictionaries and phrase histories list Ben Jonson’s 1616 play as the earliest printed occurrence of the idiom in English (usually in an archaic spelling/wording). That is why you’ll often see the claim that the phrase dates to 1616.
  • Important nuance: older printed texts often use slightly different wording or spelling, so some citations refer to a “variant” rather than the exact modern wording “when pigs fly.” In other words, Jonson’s play is cited for the same idea expressed with phrasing close to the contemporary idiom, rather than necessarily the verbatim modern phrase in exactly that orthography.
  • Response B is incorrect to say there is “no evidence” — there is documentary evidence cited by lexicographers linking the idea/phrase to Jonson’s 1616 play.

If you want to check for yourself

  • Look up the entry for “when pigs fly” (or for citations under the headword pig) in the Oxford English Dictionary — it lists early examples and their full citations.
  • Consult a reliable edition or digital facsimile of Ben Jonson’s The Devil Is an Ass (1616) or Early English Books Online to see the original context and wording.
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