egg on

Idioms  

1. Incite, urge ahead, provoke, as in Jack is always egging me on to drive faster, or Seemingly quiet, Margo actually eggs on Donald to quarrel with his staff. This expression has nothing to do with hen's eggs but comes from an Old Norse word, eggja, “to edge.” Both edge on and egg on were used interchangeably, but today the latter is preferred. [c. 1200]

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Example Sentences

Jackie laid an egg on Tuesday afternoon, offering new hope for babies this year after a previous clutch was eaten by ravens.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026

The retired farmer had queued up on November 29 at a launch of Bardella's new book in the southern town of Moissac, squashing an egg on his head when he reached him.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

To mix it up, served with a fried egg on top and - voila - you have a croque madame.

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2025

Whip up pappa al pomodoro and slide a poached egg on top like a wink.

From Salon • Jun. 16, 2025

A shelf held an African sculpture of a human hand holding an egg on the tips of its fingers, as if the egg contained something interesting about to hatch.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston