The shelf / Never / Russian
RUSSIAN
Когда рак на горе свистнет.
“When the crayfish whistles on the mountain.”
MEANS
Never.
Tails first
The oldest English version, from 1616, says pigs fly with their tails forward. The film took that literally.
Source: Fedorov, Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Literary Language; Wiktionary.
On the label: When pigs fly
Watch it
The film: “This pig has been flying backwards since 1616”
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The same idea, elsewhere
From “When pigs fly” to Russian.
ENGLISH, 1616Pigs fly in the ayre with their tayles forward.The oldest form.John Withals' dictionary, 1616 edition (Phrase Finder).
FRENCHQuand les poules auront des dents.“When hens have teeth.”Académie française, Expressio.
RUSSIANКогда рак на горе свистнет.“When the crayfish whistles on the mountain.”Fedorov; Wiktionary. A river crayfish, not a crab.