Sweating Like a Pig

The phrase "Sweating Like a Pig" popped into my head this morning as I was walking to work (no, I hadn't broken a sweat since it was still cool in the morning).  So like all people in this information age, I went to the internet once my computer booted up.  It turns out there was no clear answer on the origin of this phrase.  Most people are well aware of the fact that pigs don't really sweat, but many of the possible answers didn't satisfy me either.  Until this one:


"Maybe it came from the fact that pigs 'sweat' when they are roasted over a fire. It's not really sweat of course; I think it's just the fat dripping off."  


Now, I couldn't take them for their word and haven't seen a pig roast so I had to verify that, but there does appear to be a fair amount of dripping according to a Wikipedia article on pig roasting, so I'm satisfied.


So next time you see someone sweating, and the phrase "Sweating like a pig" pops into your head, just remember that's fat dripping from their slowly cooking meat.  Yummy!