tout est bon dans le cochon

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cayteak

New Member
USA
USA (English)
Hi all.
I was browsing a French band's website and ran across the phrase "tout est bon dans le cochon, right?" Cochon in the dictionary means pig, but then the phrase doesn't make much sense.
Anyone have an idea what this phrase may mean?

Thanks so much!
 
    • I'm French and I'm not sure myself ! :p

    It's a saying we use when we mean everything is excellent, the job has been well done, there's no junk part.

    I really don't know the origin of it...
     
    Elmarit said:
    It means there's no junk parts (of something), everything is valuable.
    Click to expand...

    I agree. When you kill a pig, every single part of it can be used. Nothing goes to waste. So this probably means that there is nothing bad, everything has some kind of value.
     
    cayteak said:
    Hi all.
    I was browsing a French band's website and ran across the phrase "tout est bon dans le cochon, right?" Cochon in the dictionary means pig, but then the phrase doesn't make much sense.
    Anyone have an idea what this phrase may mean?

    Thanks so much!
    Click to expand...

    It reminds me of the sausage maker's saying, "we use everything but the oink!"

    but maybe it has a more figurative meaning...
     
    wildan1 said:
    It reminds me of the sausage maker's saying, "we use everything but the oink!"
    Click to expand...

    Yes, that's what "Dans le cochon tout est bon" means (that every single part can be used).
    I've never heard it used in a figurative way, though.
    It is a well-known phrase in French-speaking Switzerland, especially in the "Ajoie" (Porrentruy region; a rural area in the Jura mountains). There is a special celebration there at the "Saint-Martin" (11 November), where they traditionnally have a 12-dish meal with all the different pork dishes you can cook.

    […]

    Have a nice day! :)
     
    Last edited by a moderator:
    the same expression exits in english (usa) with the buffalo. I heard it in the "making of" of a Pixar movie . the director said to the artists : "you must use everything of the buffalo", or something like that, about the layers, 3D files etc. (take that car,distort it, you have a new car).
     
    I've got another instance of this expression, and I'm not sure what to make of it. It's a customer's reply to the question
    what do you think of our service? He's talking about a bank. Thanks in advance for your thoughts...
     
    I think he wants to say that the bank uses every move he makes to get money from him. As if he was a pig, every part of him will be at the end engulfed by the bank.
     
    Last edited:
    Ou peut-être que le cochon est une métaphore pour la banque ? À cause des tirelires (piggy banks) ? Et donc, tous les services de la banque sont bons ?

    Ou peut-être que le symbole de la banque est un cochon... (disons que s'il avait parlé de "l'écureuil", par exemple, tout Français aurait su que c’était une métaphore pour une banque précise)
     
    Regarding Kelly's question, I tend to agree with Michelvar's interpretation. Read that way, the comment seems appropriately sarcastic.
    Once the mark is hooked, no part is wasted    , pourrait-on dire...
     
    Thanks, all! Pointvirgule's is really clever. I'm thinking, though, along the lines of "let's take advantage of everything!" because it leaves more room for interpretation....?
     
    cayteak said:
    Hi all.
    I was browsing a French band's website and ran across the phrase "tout est bon dans le cochon, right?" Cochon in the dictionary means pig, but then the phrase doesn't make much sense.
    Anyone have an idea what this phrase may mean?

    Thanks so much!
    Click to expand...
    In English, I would tell "every part is the best part" or "...a good part "
     
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