Why are police called pigs?

Why Police Officers are Sometimes Called “Pigs”. Unlike so many other nicknames for the police, such as cops and the fuzz, this particular term has a relatively well known origin. read more

Why Police Officers are Sometimes Called “Pigs” Unlike so many other nicknames for the police, such as cops and the fuzz, this particular term has a relatively well known origin. You see, starting around the sixteenth century “pig” began being used in English as a derogatory term for people, whether police or not, as it still sometimes is used today. read more

While police officers usually don’t mind being called “cops,” they aren’t usually fond of the term “pig.” A policeman’s lot is not an ‘appy one. By the way, the French call their police gendarmes, which came from gens d’arme (people with weaponry) which ranked just below knight in medieval armies–the English equivalent would be “esquire,” perhaps. read more

In 1811, the word, 'pig' was mentioned by the Oxford Dictionary as the name of the earliest police force headquarters. This was before the era of Sir Robert Peel and before the Metropolitan Police came into existence. read more