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: idiomstudy.blogspot.edu
