lay an egg

Cultural  

1. To fail, or to have one's efforts fall flat: “Jim tried to tell a few jokes, but each time he forgot the punch line and laid an egg.”

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lay an egg Idioms  

1. Fail, especially in a public performance; make a humiliating error. For example, Carol really laid an egg last night when she forgot her lines, or, as Variety had it in October 1929: “Wall Street Lays An Egg.” The term originated in the late 1800s in vaudeville and was extended to nontheatrical failures in the early 1900s.

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Example Sentences

One of these is called a "brood ball," where they lay an egg in each ball, after they have buried it.

From Science Daily • Mar. 1, 2024

Rams 24, Seahawks 21: The consensus seems to be that the desperate Seahawks won’t lay an egg against the 5-11 Rams at home.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 6, 2023

The researchers counted the birds, observed their courtship, egg-laying and incubation behaviors, and gathered data on one of the most baffling features of crested penguin biology: they lay an egg that never hatches.

From New York Times • Oct. 12, 2022

The Braves, meanwhile, picked an imperfect time to lay an egg, as they lost this game with their ace Max Fried on the mound and despite having a clear early advantage.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2021

When a dancer attempts to lay an egg, it is called a grand plié.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• enact
• perform
• play
• portray