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

Bardella was at an event in Moissac, southwest France, to promote his latest book when a man broke the egg on his head.

From Barron's • Nov. 29, 2025

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

From Salon • Jun. 16, 2025

Executives at UnitedHealth Group had egg on their faces on Tuesday morning.

From Slate • May 14, 2025

She reached into the bag and pulled out a bit of toast that had once had a quail’s egg on it.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman