chicken-and-egg

[ chik-uhn-uhn-eg, -uhnd- ]

/ ˈtʃɪk ən ənˈɛg, -ənd- /

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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.

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Also chick·en-or-egg

[chik-uhn-er-eg]. /ˈtʃɪk ən ərˈɛg/.

Origin of chicken-and-egg

First recorded in 1955–60

Words nearby chicken-and-egg

Chickasawhay, Chickasha, chickee, chicken, chicken adder, chicken-and-egg, chicken breast, chicken cholera, chicken colonel, chicken coop, chicken feed

How to use chicken-and-egg in a sentence

As an example of good science-and-society policymaking, the history of fluoride may be more of a cautionary tale.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
As this list shows, punishments typically run to a short-ish jail sentence and/or a moderately hefty fine.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Creating PGCs from skin tissue, on the other hand, seems like a walk in the park compared to egg freezing.
Men Will Someday Have Kids Without Women|Samantha Allen|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Wearing the right foot of a chicken was considered good luck.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Squinty could look out, but the slats were as close together as those in a chicken coop, and the little pig could not get out.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
Almost as soon as she had finished building her nest she had discovered a strange-looking egg there.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
She also practises etching, pen-and-ink drawing, as well as crayon and water-color sketching.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
No law of that country must exceed in words the number of letters in their alphabet, which consists only in two-and-twenty.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
Mr. Spurrell came down to see a horse, and we shall be very glad to have the benefit of his opinion by-and-by.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 107, November 3, 1894|Various