Easter egg

American  

[ee-ster eg] / ˈi stər ˌɛg /

noun

1. a chicken egg that is dyed and often given a figure or design, or an imitation of such an egg, as an egg-shaped candy or chocolate, used at Easter as a gift or decoration.

2. Digital Technology. an extra feature, as a message or video, hidden in a software program, video game, DVD, etc., and revealed as by an obscure sequence of keystrokes or commands.

3. Movies, Television. a hidden message, as a cryptic reference, iconic image, or inside joke, that fans are intended to discover in a television show or movie.

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Easter egg British  

noun

1. an egg given to children at Easter, usually a chocolate egg or a hen's egg with its shell painted

2. a bonus or extra feature hidden inside a website, computer game, or DVD, that is only revealed after repeated or lengthy viewing or playing

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Usage

What does Easter egg mean? Easter eggs can refer to candy eggs or eggs decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, and searched for during Easter egg hunts.In popular culture, Easters eggs are text, images, visual gags, jokes, or other content that creators intentionally hide in media for their and their viewers' amusement.

Etymology

Origin of Easter egg

First recorded in 1570–80

Example Sentences

Those Easter eggs, including an extended callback to Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” — the realization of which they credit to animator Louaye Moulayess, a “Shining” superfan — speak to a willingness to cater to audiences beyond kids.

From Los Angeles Times

No, it’s not an intentional Easter egg for “Stranger Things” fans, but there’s a lot of Easter eggs for George fans.

From The Wall Street Journal

Logic is ditched for franchise callbacks and Easter eggs, dubious subplots and laying track for the inevitable next sequel.

From Los Angeles Times

“There’s lovely Easter eggs all the way through that you wouldn’t have gotten from the first book or the first film,” Baker said.

From Los Angeles Times

Although cocoa commodity prices have eased slightly recently, a surge in costs over the past three years led to pricier Easter eggs and squeezed profit margins at some chocolate-sellers.

From BBC