Example
Recorded usage
These full forms were measured in COCA in 2016–2017. Counts apply to the quoted form, not every use of this idiom; overlapping forms are not added together.
- “Pigs might fly” — 1 recorded occurrences
Grouped source variants; editorially classified here as an idiom. Usage counts are separate from CEFR difficulty.
Dictionary details
Related idioms
Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.
out of the question
CEFR B1completely impossible or not permitted
grasp at straws
CEFR B2to try desperate, unlikely measures when things are going badly
have your cake and eat it too
CEFR B2to want two incompatible things at once
take it with a grain of salt
CEFR B2To treat something as not fully reliable or true.
Source methodology
Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.