hog: Definition and Much More from Answers.com

Hogs are not indigenous to the Western Hemisphere. In 1493 Christopher Columbus first introduced them to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Some forty-six years later, they arrived in what is now the continental United States with Hernando de Soto's expedition. It is likely that de Soto's expedition left behind some of the hogs, either deliberately or accidentally.

The first important importation of hogs into the thirteen original colonies accompanied the establishment of Jamestown in 1607. Their introduction in the Massachusetts Bay area by the English and in the Delaware River region of Pennsylvania and New Jersey by the English, Germans, and Swedes soon followed. Thus, by the end of the seventeenth century, hogs were well established in the Middle Atlantic and New England colonies.

American breeds of hogs emerged from these early sources, but more significant development of breeds took place after the extensive importations from western Europe during the first half of the nineteenth century. The eight leading breeds are the Chester White, Duroc, Hampshire, Poland China, Spotted, Berkshire, Yorkshire, and American Landrace. Purebred hogs, while relatively small in number compared to the total commercial production in the United States, serve as an important seed-stock source for commercial nonpurebred herds.

Marked changes in the type and conformation of hogs raised in the United States have occurred since the 1930s as a result of changes in consumer preference and a decline in the use of lard. Breeders have developed a meat-type hog: a lean, meaty animal providing an increased yield of preferred lean cuts and a reduced yield of fat. Improved breeding and selection programs have been applied to all breeds of hogs with advances in nutritional knowledge that permit the maximum expression of the animal's potential for lean tissue development.

Marketing patterns continue to change. During the early 1800s, herds were driven to cities on the eastern seaboard. Later, with population shifts and the development of transportation systems, packing centers arose in Cincinnati and Chicago. The latter eventually became the center of the industry. After World War II, as other stockyards located throughout the Midwest became increasingly important, that of Chicago declined; hogs were no longer marketed in Chicago after 1970.

The production of hogs continues as one of the major U.S. agricultural enterprises. Iowa, which was home to fifteen million hogs in 2001, easily leads the nation in pork production. North Carolina is in second place with 9.5 million hogs. Especially in North Carolina, however, an increasing number of American hogs are raised not on family farms but rather on large-scale factory operations. Promoters of the practice claim that it improves efficiency and brings jobs to economically depressed areas. Critics, by contrast, dispute that factory hog farms are more efficient and also worry about the environmental, economic, and health implications of this style of production. Most frequently, they argue that factory farms have yet to discover a suitable way to deal with hog waste, which can pollute groundwater and smell unbearably strong.

Bibliography

Hallam, Arne, ed. Size, Structure, and the Changing Face of American Agriculture. Boulder, Col.: Westview Press, 1993.

Horwitz, Richard P. Hog Ties: Pigs, Manure, and Mortality in American Culture. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998.

Tansey, Geoff, and Joyce D'Silva, eds. The Meat Business: Devouring a Hungry Planet. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999.

Thu, Kendall M., and E. Paul Durrenberger, eds. Pigs, Profits, and Rural Communities. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1998.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - svin, gris, orne, galt, grådig person, ædedolk, rappenskralde
v. tr. - studse, klippe, rense, skrabe
v. intr. - skyde ryg, rage til sig, dominere

idioms:

• the whole hog    løbe linen ud

Nederlands (Dutch)
varken, gulzigaard, inhalige viezerik, gevangene, dollar, grote auto, ongeschoren lam, (zich) naar boven krommen, inpalmen, doen doorbuigen, de manen kort knippen, schip schrobben, gulzig opschrokken, woest rijden, niet delen met een ander

Français (French)
n. - (GB) porc châtré, (US) porc, verrat, pourceau (une personne), (US) grosse américaine (voiture)
v. tr. - monopoliser
v. intr. - monopoliser

idioms:

• go the whole hog    aller jusqu'au bout, voir les choses en grand
• go whole hog    voir les choses en grand

Deutsch (German)
n. - Schwein
v. - in Beschlag nehmen

idioms:

• go the whole hog    etwas vollständig machen
• go whole hog    etwas vollständig machen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - άγριο ή μουνουχισμένο (αρσενικό) γουρούνι
v. - φέρομαι με εγωισμό ή απληστία, (μτφ.) ιδιοποιούμαι, μονοπωλώ (το δρόμο)

idioms:

• the whole hog    χωρίς επιφύλαξη, ολοκληρωτικά

Italiano (Italian)
maiale, ingordo

idioms:

• the whole hog    fino in fondo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - porco (m) (Zool.), pessoa (f) comilona
v. - cortar a crina, arquear as costas, agarrar mais do que é devido

idioms:

• the whole hog    exagero (m)

Русский (Russian)
боров, свинина, эгоист, выгибать спину, коротко подстригать, поступать по-свински, пожирать, жадничать

idioms:

• the whole hog    идти на все, основательно

Español (Spanish)
n. - cerdo, puerco, chancho, marrano, comilón, tragón, glotón
v. tr. - devorar, acaparar, quedarse con lo mejor
v. intr. - no poder desviarse por debilidad estructural

idioms:

• go the whole hog    darse el gusto completamente y sin reservas, llegar hasta el final, poner toda la carne en el asador
• go whole hog    darse el gusto completamente y sin reservas, llegar hasta el final, poner toda la carne en el asador

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - svin (äv. bildl.), ungfår, matvrak, storförbrukare av narkotika, stor bil, tung motorcykel, särskilt Harley Davidson
v. - kortklippa, skjuta (rygg), göra kölbruten (sjö), roffa åt sig

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
猪, 像猪般的人, 贪婪者, 拱起, 贪心地攫取, 使中部拱起, 霸占, 中部拱起, 猛开快车

idioms:

• the whole hog    完全地, 彻底地

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 豬, 像豬般的人, 貪婪者
v. tr. - 拱起, 貪心地攫取, 使中部拱起, 霸佔
v. intr. - 中部拱起, 猛開快車

idioms:

• the whole hog    完全地, 徹底地

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 돼지, 욕심꾸러기, 털을 깎은 일이 없는 한 살쯤 된 양
v. tr. - 짧게 깎다, ~을 게걸스럽게 먹다, 등을 둥글게 하다
v. intr. - 짧게 깎다, 무모하게 행동하다, 등을 둥글게 하다

idioms:

• the whole hog    전체

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 豚, 豚のような人, 貪欲な人, ブタ
v. - ひとり占めにする

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) خنزير, حمل غير مجزوز الصوف, صوف مجزوز من حمل, شخص أناني أو شره أو قذر (فعل) يجز شعر عنق الفرس, , يقوس, الظهر جاعلا اياه كظهر خنزير, يأخذ أكثر من نصيبه أو حقه, يتقوس, قاع السفينه في وسطه إلى الأعلى‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חזיר, חזיר מסורס, חמדן, כבשה לפני הגז הראשון (בריטניה)‬
v. tr. - ‮חטף הכל, השתלט על הכל‬
v. intr. - ‮קימר את גבו‬

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