Idiom: to sweat buckets & to
sweat like a pig; used as verbs


Example:
Harry: Wow, it’s hot out!
Jen: I know! I had to move some
furniture, and by the end, I was sweating
buckets! 
Harry: Do you need help?
Jen: 
No.  We got everything moved.  But the next time I decide to rearrange my
living room, I’m waiting until the winter.



Meaning: When an American says that someone is “sweating buckets,” it means that
the person is sweating excessively, either from physical movement or
nervousness. The idiom suggests a person sweating so much that s/he is filling
up buckets. In the example above, Jen uses the idiom to emphasize how much she
was sweating after moving furniture – not that she actually collected her sweat
in buckets.  Alternatively, there is
another idiom with the same meaning, as seen below:

Jen: Wow, it’s hot out!
Harry: Yeah it is! I went hiking
yesterday, and I was sweating like a pig!
Jen: Was it a nice hike?
Harry: 
Not really.  It was so hot, I
didn’t really enjoy myself.



Meaning: In this case, Harry uses the idiom “sweat like a
pig” to tell Jen that he was also sweating excessively.  Ironically, pigs don’t really sweat much, and they
roll around in mud in order to stay cool, so this idiom doesn’t make a lot of
sense.

This week, we are covering American
idioms related to heat due to the high temperatures in Los Angeles this week. 

For more information, please visit: www.languagesystems.edu