chicken-and-egg

[ chik-uh n-uh n-eg, -uh nd- ]

/ ˈtʃɪk ən ənˈɛg, -ənd- /

adjective

of, relating to, or being a dilemma of which of two things came first or of which is the cause and which the effect: a chicken-and-egg question of whether matter or energy is the basis of the universe.

Words nearby chicken-and-egg

chicken switch, chicken tetrazzini, chicken turtle, chicken wire, chicken with its head cut off, chicken-and-egg, chicken-fried, chicken-fry, chicken-hearted, chicken-livered, chickenpox

Also chick·en-or-egg

[chik-uh n-er-eg] /ˈtʃɪk ən ərˈɛg/.

Origin of chicken-and-egg

First recorded in 1955–60

Examples from the Web for chicken-and-egg

“It is a chicken-and-egg thing,” says one senior Western diplomat in Doha.
Crossing the Rubicon in Syria|Christopher Dickey|November 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST