Happier Than A Pig In Shit

Personally, I prefer a shower …

Happier than a pig in shit
Happy as a pig in shit
Happy as a pig in mud

A few days ago I was having dinner with a few friends. We were discussing some of our ongoing projects and how they were proceeding. When updating us on a kitchen renovation project he had going, John said … “My wife is happier than a pig in shit over …”

I have to admit to almost snorting …

OK I confess.

I snorted.

I’m not sure how John’s wife would feel about being likened to a pig, let alone a pig in shit.

But I was familiar with the phrase and knew that John simply adored his wife and most likely didn’t think of her as a pig.

I am fascinated about words and their meanings and idioms and their origins. So when I got home I decide to find out where the phrase “happier than a pig in shit” came from.

To my surprise, I couldn’t find a direct origin. Go figure … something I couldn’t find on the Internet. What a surprise.

So I started digging around. One of the “similar” phrases I kept coming across was “happy as a pig in mud.” So I started searching for that and YES, finally got some information.

When it gets really hot, humans start sweating. The sweat helps cool your skin off. But pigs get overheated because they don’t sweat. To cool off they roll in a nice mud bath, which helps regulate their temperature and makes them happy and content. So the phrase “happy as a pig in mud” actually makes sense.

This video gives a great explanation …

I am a fan of wildlife documentaries and yes … there are loads of other animals that wallow in mud, hippos, elephants, rhinos, and African buffalo to name a few.

Who knows when “pigs in mud” morphed into “pigs in shit.” I suspect that someone saw a pig taking a poop in the mud and maybe assumed the whole pool of mud was a pool of shit OR maybe the pigs couldn’t find a handy pool of mud and had to create their own.

Your kids will love this cute hippo cartoon and sing-a-long song … The Hippopotamus Song (Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud) Sing-a-long.