GermanSchwein haben
Meaning: To be lucky; to get away with something by sheer good luck.
Literally: To have pig
Example: “Der letzte Parkplatz war frei: da hatten wir Schwein.” — The last parking space was free; we really lucked out.
English equivalent: To luck out
Origin: Why a pig means luck is not settled; German Wiktionary calls the origin unexplained. The best-known story is that at medieval shooting matches and contests the worst competitor received a piglet as a consolation prize, so whoever "had the pig" got a reward without earning it. A rival explanation points to card games, where the highest card, the ace (Daus), was also nicknamed Sau (sow), so holding it meant being close to winning. Neither account is documented, but the pig has stood for prosperity in German folk custom for centuries.
Equivalents in other languages
Czech: Mít kliku Literally: To have a door handle
English: lead a charmed life- English: luck out
More German idioms
- Die Daumen drücken To wish someone good luck (like crossing fingers).
- Seinen Senf dazugeben To give an unsolicited opinion.
- Klar wie Kloßbrühe Completely obvious.
- jemandem einen Bären aufbinden To tell someone a deliberate lie or deceptive story for amusement or manipulation.
- in den sauren Apfel beißen To accept an unpleasant necessity or disagreeable situation with resignation and stoicism.
- mit jemandem Katz und Maus spielen To tease or toy with someone's emotions, alternating between kind and cruel treatment for…
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