pig's earn.
/ˌpɪɡz ˈɪə/, U.S. /ˌpɪɡz ˈɪ(ə)r/ 1. British slang. Beer.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > ale or beer > beer > [noun]
beerc1000
jug1715
swipes1796
gatter1818
pongelo1859
neck oil1860
pig's ear1880
slop1904
suds1904
hop1929
wallop1933
keg1945
turps1945
brewski1977
1880 D. W. Barrett Life & Work among Navvies (ed. 2) ii. ii. 40 Now, Jack, I'm goin' to get a tiddley wink of pig's ear.
1936 ‘J. Curtis’ Gilt Kid xx. 199 But the most of the fiver would go in the old pig's ear.
2002 Guardian (Nexis) 15 June (Weekend Suppl.) 91 In the days when the Cockney patois was more widely spoken, the pig's ear in question might have been Mann's Brown Ale.
2. in a pig's ear: see pig n.1 Phrases 13.
3. colloquial. A mess, a botched job. Chiefly in to make a pig's ear (out) of: to botch or bungle.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > lack of truth, falsity > an error, mistake > blunder [verb (intransitive)] > make a mess of
to have done it1837
to fuck up1944
to make a pig's ear (out) of1954
to make a porridge (of)1969
1954 E. Hargreaves Handful of Silver xii. 183 ‘I've made a real pig's ear of it, haven't I?’ said Basil, with an attempt at lightness.
1973 Observer 29 July 14/5 If you are doing something wrong, you will..make a pig's ear of its execution.
1993 Economist 7 Aug. 41/1 It is a pig's ear of a budget proposal.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1880