porky
1 Americannoun
-
porkies
plural
adjective
-
belonging to or characteristic of pork
a porky smell
-
informal fat; obese
noun
Usage
What does porky mean? Porky is used to describe food as having the flavor of pork (the meat from a pig), as in The bacon gives the dish a nice porky flavor. This sense of the word can be applied to dishes that have a prominent pork flavor or to pork itself when its flavor is strong, as in I think a lot of sausage is bland, but this is so flavorful—really nice and porky. The word porky can also be used as a way to call someone chubby. This may be intended to be funny, but it’s always insulting to compare someone to a pig. In the U. S., porky is used in some places as a slang term for porcupine. In the U. K., porky is used as a slang term meaning a lie, as in I think he’s telling a porky. Example: I like my ramen to be extra porky, so I doubled the amount of pork belly in it.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of porky1
First recorded in 1850–55; pork + -y 1
Origin of porky2
An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; porc(upine) + -y 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"I thought: 'Uh-oh. David’s told me a porky pie here,'" Underwood says.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2024
But man, that creamy, porky richness goes down easier when cut with the sinus-clearing chili paste that’s blended in-house.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 26, 2024
Michael described himself as a "very awkward, slightly porky, very strange-looking bloke" who walked into his first day of school with a mop of curly hair and wearing "sodding great big window-frame glasses."
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2023
Yet the star of the dish turned out to be its condiment, a sticky, salty and porky soppressata jam.
From New York Times ● Nov. 16, 2021
Uncle Vernon was large and neckless, with an enormous black mustache; Aunt Petunia was horse-faced and bony; Dudley was blond, pink, and porky.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood says his old club Tottenham were "telling porkies" last season when they say they did not contact other potential managers while Sherwood was still in charge at White Hart Lane.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2015
He continually tells porkies and blames everyone/everything else on his poor showing.
From BBC ● Jan. 19, 2015
I'm not sure what porkies Harry told the committee that runs the hall, but I wouldn't have thought a party for himself counted as a particularly good cause.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 19, 2013
Then again, he was guilty of telling a few porkies over the summer and it is not like Tottenham to remain quiet during a transfer window.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 31, 2012
The Bishop of Bath and Wells said, “Now me lad, what’s your story, eh? And don't tell any porkies, remember as how you’re talkin’ to a bishop.”
From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman
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