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

If you go out there and lay an egg, no one’s feeling good about that, especially heading into the last week.”

From Seattle Times • Dec. 28, 2022

Erect-crested penguins in the harsh Antipodes Islands in the South Pacific lay an egg that’s doomed to die.

From New York Times • Oct. 14, 2022

"Fourteen-point favorites. Go down to Jacksonville to punch our ticket into the playoffs and absolutely lay an egg," Saturday groaned during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up.

From Fox News • Jan. 12, 2022

“Lay an egg, lay an egg, lay an egg!” her brothers teased as they watched her sink low, knees akimbo.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• enact
• perform
• play
• portray