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Save your bacon

Posted by Lotg (OZ) on August 31, 2004

In Reply to: Save your bacon posted by ESC on August 31, 2004

: : Typically I was running late for an appointment yesterday, so I was leadfooting it down the Mountain. My partner had left slightly earlier for a different appointment so was ahead of me in a separate car. He rang me to warn me that there was a Radar car heading up the hill towards me. I slowed down, and phew, was doing the limit by the time the cop passed me.

: : I SMS'd my partner to thank him for 'saving my bacon'. It subsequently occurred to me that this is an old, common, but odd expression. Does anyone know how, when, where this originated? When you think it through it really doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I mean if you're a pig for example, by the time your meat is bacon, your long gone. Any info please?

: I don't have any idea. It could mean saving your livelihood as in "bringing home the bacon." Or saving a part of your anatomy.

: I did find something at motherearthnews.com about butchering a hog. Have you ever heard of bleeding like a stuck pig?

: "Very often when sticking hogs someone will make an effort to stick the heart. This should not be done as the heart should be left uninjured in order that it may continue to function properly and pump out the blood as rapidly as possible. To reach the heart the sticking cut would have to be made very deep, which is almost sure to result in internal bleeding. To prevent internal bleeding the sticking should merely sever the large vein and artery well in front of the heart. A quick and thorough bleed is one of the foundation steps in putting up high quality meat. Too much emphasis cannot be placed on the importance of a good bleed. Shooting or stunning before sticking should always be avoided unless the hog is very wild. A good bleed is difficult to obtain when hogs are stunned or shot."

: Enjoy your BLT.

Haha. Thanks ESC - but I might just pass on that BLT for now. But it won't turn me vegetarian I can assure you.

As a person who grew up on a farm, owns a farm and is doing a degree in farm management, I have often witnessed the killing of stock, and for my degree, I have had the ummm.... dubious honour of spending considerable time in abattoirs studying how these things are done. I am extremely pleased to say that while these practices (ie. bleeding out) did exist in the past, they are now absolutely illegal in this country, and I sincerely hope in others too. Although, I'm not so naive as to think such practices have been completely irradicated - including, probably secretly in Australia by some slime balls.

Even so. The process of curing bacon occurs long after the death of the animal. Thus, it seems like a funny saying to me. Because you'd want to be saved, long before your bacon could be saved.

Further to your stuck pig example, there's another saying I'm familiar with - squealing like a stuck pig. I suspect that's more in reference to the hunting of pigs who might be speared or shot, but not killed immediately. I know from working on pig farms, you only have to pick up a pig, that doesn't want to be picked up and it squeals like crazy.

Finally - I'd like to make it absolutely clear that pigs are among my favourite animals of all time. They are fantastic, intelligent creatures who are much maligned for their lack of cleanliness. But dammit - I must defend them. Pigs are a lot like humans. If you force them to live in confined quarters they tend to be dirty. But if you give them plenty of space, they are far from it.

OK, that's it - I've finished my 'pig support' soap box routine.

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