piggy
piggy — noun
- piggysingular
- piggiesplural
1. the informal term children use to refer to a pig — especially a small or young o
the informal term children use to refer to a pig — especially a small or young one, or any pig spoken about with fondness.
Little Sofia pointed at the piggy in the farmyard and laughed with joy.
point at + piggy (child's usage)
The children fed the piggy some apple slices through the fence.
Xiu's favourite story was about a pink piggy who lived on a farm.
Asher drew a picture of a happy piggy playing in the mud.
Anjali asked her dad if they could visit the piggy at the city farm.
文法句型
piggy + verb
the + piggy
用法筆記
Used mainly by children or adults speaking to children. The standard adult word for the animal is 'pig'.
常見錯誤
piggy — adjective
- piggypositive
- piggiercomparative
- piggiestsuperlative
1. behaving in a greedy or unpleasant way that is compared to how a pig eats — for
behaving in a greedy or unpleasant way that is compared to how a pig eats — for example, eating too much, taking more than one's share, or leaving a mess with food.
Rohan's brother was being piggy and ate three whole slices of cake.
be + piggy (predicative, behavioural sense)
Stop being so piggy and share the sweets with your friends!
imperative: stop being + piggy
The little girl made a piggy mess all over the table with her food.
Aunt Rosa called the children piggy for eating all the biscuits before dinner.
Quinn felt a bit piggy after eating the whole pizza alone.
- greedy
the neutral, all-purpose word for wanting too much; more formal and more severe than 'piggy'
- gluttonous
formal; refers specifically to eating to excess, not to general greed or mess
- selfish
broader than 'piggy' — covers not sharing anything, not just food
- piggish
identical in meaning to 'piggy' as an adjective but slightly less common
文法句型
be + piggy
piggy + noun
call + object + piggy
用法筆記
Almost always used in informal spoken language, especially with or about children. Unlike 'greedy', 'piggy' carries a mildly playful or teasing tone, not a harsh criticism.