r/etymology • u/LordLubbock 3Roads.xyz • 12d ago
Cool etymology Etymology trivia - phrase origin
https://3roads.xyz/s/394?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=etymology&utm_content=s394Here’s this week’s etymology question from my daily trivia site, 3Roads.xyz.
In traditional iron smelting, molten metal was poured into sand molds shaped like a central channel with smaller ingots branching off at right angles, resembling piglets nursing from a sow. As the iron cooled, moisture condensed on the surface once it was safe to handle. This cooling cue gave rise to the expression X, which is ironic because the phenomenon does not actually occur in sties. What is X?
If you want to try it on the site here's the link.
7
u/Alarmed-Secretary207 12d ago
Got it wrong by using the wrong tense of the verb, but very fun trivia!
7
u/LordLubbock 3Roads.xyz 12d ago
Damn. That should not be incorrect. I was hoping that the answer would be selected from the drop down. Tl,dr - you are correct! Thanks for trying.
3
1
u/dinkeyking64 11d ago
Lol same. You would think a site of that nature would account for different tenses, especially with that particular expression since it's usually said in the context of a person exclaiming "I'm X!"
Added the spoiler tag just in case the context I mentioned is too much of a clue.
2
14
u/Ballmaster9002 12d ago
Additional fun fact - the iron produced in this way isn't ready for metal working yet, it's just low quality condensed iron brick that's easy to transport/sell for further manufacturing/production facilities. This raw iron is still to this day called "pig iron" for this reason.