egg (redirected from laying an egg)

as sure as eggs (are/is eggs) (British & Australian, old-fashioned)

something that you say when you are certain about what is going to happen or what someone will do. He'll be back again next week asking for more money, sure as eggs is eggs.

See also: sure

a bad egg (mainly American, informal)

someone who behaves in a bad or dishonest way. He's a bad egg - don't believe anything he says.

See also: bad

can't boil an egg (humorous)

if someone can't boil an egg, they are not able to cook. Don't expect a dinner invitation from Laura - she can't boil an egg.

See also: boil, can't

a chicken and egg situation

a situation in which it is impossible to say which of two things existed first and which caused the other. It's a chicken and egg situation - I don't know whether I was bad at the sciences because I wasn't interested in them or not interested in them and therefore not good at them.

See also: chicken, situation

a curate's egg (British)

something which has both good and bad parts. Queen's College is something of a curate's egg, with elegant Victorian buildings alongside some of the ugliest modern architecture.

a good egg (old-fashioned, humorous)

a person with good qualities such as kindness. He's a good egg, your brother - he visited me every day while I was ill.

See also: good

have egg on your face (informal)

to seem stupid because of something you have done. You'll be the one who has egg on your face if it goes wrong.

See also: face

kill the goose that lays the golden egg

to destroy something that makes a lot of money. If you sell your shares now, you could be killing the goose that lays the golden egg.

See also: golden, goose, kill, lay, that

lay an egg (American, informal)

to fail to make people enjoy or be interested in something. Our first two sketches got big laughs, but the next two laid an egg.

See also: lay

a nest egg

an amount of money that you have saved. Regular investment of small amounts of money is an excellent way of building a nest egg.

See also: nest

over-egg the pudding (British)

to spoil something by trying too hard to improve it. As a director, I think he has a tendency to over-egg the pudding, with a few too many gorgeous shots of the countryside.

See also: pudding

put all your eggs in one basket

to risk losing everything by putting all your efforts or all your money into one plan or one course of action. If you're going to invest the money, my advice would be don't put all your eggs in one basket.

See also: all, basket

teach your grandmother to suck eggs (British & Australian)

to give advice to someone about a subject that they already know more about than you. You're teaching your grandmother to suck eggs, Ted. I've been playing this game since before you were born!

See also: suck, teach

You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.

something that you say which means it is difficult to achieve something important without causing any unpleasant effects. Twenty jobs will have to be cut if the company's going to be made more efficient. But you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.

See also: breaking, can't, without

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have egg on your face

to be embarrassed. If the computer problems continue, then the software giant will have egg on its face.

Usage notes: also used in the form with egg on your face: People who supported him came away with egg on their faces.

blow up in your face

See also: face

put all your eggs in one basket

to risk your money or your reputation in support of one idea or plan. I didn't want to put all my eggs in one basket, so I played five different lottery games, but lost all of them.

Etymology: based on the idea that if all the eggs you got from your chickens are in one basket (= container) and you drop it, you will lose all your eggs

See also: all, basket