DE German · colloquial · 5 of 6
Schwein haben
relieved, informal
Word by word
pig · have
Idiomatic sense
To be lucky, often when the luck was not earned and not expected. The pig is not an insult here. Calling the luck a pig does not call the person one.
It is colloquial. A formal report of good fortune wants a different verb.
Examples
Bei dem Stau haben wir Schwein gehabt und den Zug noch gekriegt.
With that traffic we got lucky and still made the train.
Du hast vielleicht Schwein gehabt.
You got really lucky there.
Equivalents
Marks say how far the other phrase travels with this one. How to read them.
- near
to luck out
Unexpected luck, colloquial. American more than British. No animal.
- near
avoir du pot
Informal French for a stroke of luck. Same register, different picture.
- near
ついている
Colloquial: one's luck is running. Often written ツイている. Same lightness.
- near
走运
To have luck running one's way. Everyday, and not vulgar.
- partial
A wish that someone else will be lucky. Schwein haben is the luck after it has landed.
Notes
Vielleicht in Du hast vielleicht Schwein gehabt is an intensifier. It means the luck was really something. It does not mean "perhaps".
A fairground story in which a pig is the prize is often told as the origin. It is not adopted here.
Sources
- Standard colloquial idiom. Wording is original. The origin is left open on purpose.