Do you call a messy eater "a piggy-wiggy"? (2025)

Hey,

I searched through English dictionaries what a piggy-wiggy means, but they all don't answer my specific question. I'd like to know whether you can use the word "piggy-wiggy" to call a child who is a messy eater, for example. Or when specifically do you call a baby a piggy-wiggy?
Thanks in advance for all the answers!

Hello julisamomslife - welcome to the forums!

Can you explain why you're asking the question?

Loob said:

Hello julisamomslife - welcome to the forums!

Can you explain why you're asking the question?

Click to expand...

I'm practising English from birth with my toddler to help her acquire this language easier. She probably won't be a 100% bilingual as English is not native for me, but at least she won't have the language barrier right from the beginning I speak only English with her. And there are some situations when I need to call her something cute, but referring to a messy eater That's why my question.

julisamomslife said:

Or when specifically do you call a baby a piggy-wiggy?

Click to expand...

When one feels baby language is appropriate, you can say anything you want in hopes, however, that the child will acquire adult language.

sdgraham said:

When one feels baby language is appropriate, you can say anything you want in hopes, however, that the child will acquire adult language.

Click to expand...

Well, I know that baby talk is using your imagination But anyways I would like to avoid using the words in the situations in which a native speaker would never use them.

lingobingo said:

I used to get called a “mucky-pup”!

Click to expand...

That's a good word. Very common in BE.

I wonder if it's used in AE?

lingobingo said:

I used to get called a “mucky-pup”!

Click to expand...

Never heard! But sounds funny Thanks!
<-----Edited by moderator (Florentia52) to remove texting shorthand----->

velisarius said:

A "piggy-wiggy" is a little pig, i.e. a child who is greedy.

Click to expand...

I saw this explanation in one of the dictionaries, but it's hard for me to see it like this. Do you probably know why this stands for greedy? Is this because of some fable or tale?

lingobingo said:

I used to get called a “mucky-pup”!

Click to expand...

By the way, does it go only for eating manners or any type of filthy mess a child can make?

"Piggy-wiggy" is just a silly word for "little pig" (the -ie" or "-y" suffix means little). Adults often use silly rhyming words like this when talking to very young children. So a toy horse might be a "horsie-worsie", a dog a "doggy-woggy" and so on.

In US culture, "pigs" are a stereotype for messy and filthy (very dirty), and sometimes for greedy. But these are adult meanings. They can be taught to kids, once they are 3 or 4. I'm not sure how old kids need to be, to teach them to eat less messily. But based on my daughter's Facebook posts, it's older than 2.

Babies don't understand words, but they do understand the emotional content of speech: whether you are speaking lovingly, or angrily, or giving praising, or laughing and joking. So use any words you want. I don't know if anything is "most common" in English.

julisamomslife said:

I'm practising English from birth with my toddler to help her acquire this language easier.

Click to expand...

That is a terrific idea. The first stumbling-block in learning a new language is being able to hear the sounds (be able to separate different sounds the way natives do) and speak the sounds. If, by age 3 or so, she can recognize and speak all the sounds of English and all the sounds of Russian, she will have a big advantage in learning both languages.

I call a messy child a 'piglet'.

You little piglet! Mummy's going to have to give you a bath (or hose you down )!

dojibear said:

Babies don't understand words, but they do understand the emotional content of speech: whether you are speaking lovingly, or angrily, or giving praising, or laughing and joking. So use any words you want. I don't know if anything is "most common" in English

Click to expand...

Well, this concerns very little babies. Older babies and toddlers certainly understand words! My daughter is 1.5 (actually, a pre-toddler), but she understands requests and words in English the same way she does it in Russian.

dojibear said:

That is a terrific idea. The first stumbling-block in learning a new language is being able to hear the sounds (be able to separate different sounds the way natives do) and speak the sounds. If, by age 3 or so, she can recognize and speak all the sounds of English and all the sounds of Russian, she will have a big advantage in learning both languages.

Click to expand...

I hope she will. Her first word after 'mama' and 'papa' was 'baby'. And now she's broadened her vocabulary. She uses more English words as they're shorter than Russian ones and thus are easier for her. She already says baby, duckie, star, car, bear, owl, bunny, tap-tap, fall, she reproduces many English animal sounds. She shoes understanding of how many animals, body parts, food items, clothes etc. are called in both languages. So, normally she should acquire English too.

You little ripper! said:

I call a messy child a 'piglet'.

You little piglet! Mummy's going to have to give you a bath (or hose you down )!

Click to expand...

So, actually, a pig as an animal can stand for "dirty" then...

suzi br said:

Lots of families have their own lexis for everday phrases that are only loosely based on standard vocabulary.
As kids learn they are constantly adjusting their sense of what is, or isn’t, included in any definition of anything. The hilarity of any adult male being called “daddy” is an easy to spot case until they learn how we distinguish one male from the rest to call him, and only him, daddy.
So what is, or isn’t, included in a noun like piggy-wiggy is up to you. Greedy or messy. What you say will be its definition and it won’t matter outside your family group.

Click to expand...

Interesting! So, in fact, it doesn't matter much which meaning I give to the word when I call my baby names when using baby talk.

suzi br said:

I agree it’s lovely that you’re doing this with your little one. Very beneficial to her future mental abilities.

Click to expand...

I just know from my own experience that in order to speak a language fluently and properly, you need practice and not the boring lessons of 40 min each twice a week in a group of at least 12 students. You can learn a language for ages, but you'll break the barrier only when you regularly use it in speech. That's why I decided to give the opportunity to my daughter.

julisamomslife said:

So, actually, a pig as an animal can stand for "dirty" then...

Click to expand...

Yes.

pig - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

one who eats too much, is greedy, or is very sloppy.

Pig definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

• informal a dirty, greedy, or bad-mannered person

You little ripper! said:

Yes.

pig - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

one who eats too much, is greedy, or is very sloppy.

Pig definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

• informal a dirty, greedy, or bad-mannered person

Click to expand...

Great to know it at last!

julisamomslife said:

Interesting! So, in fact, it doesn't matter much which meaning I give to the word when I call my baby names when using baby talk.

Click to expand...

I don’t think so.
Some families relish the fun of it.
Kids quickly learn if the wider society doesn’t recognise how they are using it!

(You might find this old Cultural Discussions thread interesting, julisamomslife: Language Learning: Non-native raising bilingual children.)

Loob said:

(You might find this old Cultural Discussions thread interesting, julisamomslife: Language Learning: Non-native raising bilingual children.)

Click to expand...

Wow!!!! Thanks a lot!