What it means
To pig out is to go way past just having a meal and absolutely hammer the food till you're stuffed silly. It's what happens when you mean to have a few bites, then the snacks get wiped out, the takeaway's disappearing at speed, and your stomach's filing a complaint while you keep going.
Usage examples
"Came back from the pub and pigged out on a dirty kebab, cheesy chips and half a pizza. Woke up parched, crumbs everywhere, no shame."
"We pigged out on the entire box of Christmas chocolates by Boxing Day afternoon, the wrappers scattered across the lounge carpet like confetti, and not a single hazelnut praline survived the family marathon of festive films."
"After the long walk along the South Downs Way the whole group pigged out at the village pub in Alfriston, three rounds of fish and chips, two sticky toffee puddings and the dog finishing the leftover beer-battered scampi from the side plate."
"We said we'd just have a few bits after the film, then fully pigged out on garlic bread, wings and a tub of ice cream the size of a flowerpot."
"Don't order takeaway when you're this hungry, you'll pig out and regret it halfway through the second burger."
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Where it comes from
Pig out turns up in American English in the early 1970s, especially in college slang. It leans on the older image of pigs as greedy eaters, then adds out to give it that full-on excess vibe. From there it spread fast through US speech and later settled comfortably into everyday British English too.
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