Definition

Noun: - The sport of hunting wild boar with spears: "Pigsticking" refers specifically to the traditional and often dangerous equestrian sport of pursuing and killing wild boars using a spear or lance, typically while on horseback.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • Pigsticking was a popular and prestigious sport among British officers in colonial India.
  • The thrill of pigsticking lies in the close-quarters combat with a formidable animal.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used metaphorically to describe a difficult, messy, or confrontational task.
  • Negotiating that contract felt like a bit of pigsticking.
• It can appear in historical or anthropological contexts describing traditional hunting practices.
  • The book details the rituals and techniques of pigsticking in 19th-century India.

Variants and Related Words

• Pigstick (verb, rare): To hunt wild boar with a spear.
  • They went to pigstick in the forest.
• Pig-sticker (noun): A colloquial term for a large knife or spear used for hunting.
  • He carried a sharp pig-sticker on his belt.

Synonyms

• Boar hunting: The general activity of hunting wild boar.
• Spear hunting: Hunting with a spear, which may include other game.

Notes on Meaning

• Primary Meaning: The core meaning is the specific historical sport involving horses, riders, and spears against wild boar.
• Secondary/Figurative Meaning: It can be used informally to evoke a sense of a chaotic, arduous, or aggressive struggle.

Noun

1. the sport of hunting wild boar with spears