tortilla

An authentic Spanish tortilla is traditionally made with just eggs, potatoes, onions, salt and pepper, but this version contains sliced red and green peppers for a bit of extra colour and flavour.

2004, The Student Cookbook, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

(Spanish cuisine) Spanish omelette; an omelette containing potatoes and onions.


omelette

en-noun

omelette (countable and uncountable, plural omelettes)

From French omelette, from alemette, from alemelle (“knife blade”), probably derived from la lemelle, from Latin lamella (“thin plate”).

you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs

you've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette

He crossed to the window, which looked on to a herb garden, and seated himself on the chintz-covered window-seat and delicately watched the two, who were engaged in eating omelette and salad at a round table near the fire-place.

1912, w:Marjorie Bowen [pseudonym; Margaret Gabrielle Vere Long], “The Heretic”, in The Quest of Glory, London: Methuen & Co. Ltd. […], part I (The Quest Joyful), pages 69–70:

She had never meant to confide in him — certainly not here, eating omelette and cheese sauce — but that look seemed to demand a confidence.

1969, J[ohn] B[oynton] Priestley, “London End”, in The Image Men, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →LCCN, page 288:

She stayed to lunch that day, eating omelette and peas in the kitchen, followed by treacle tart.

1985, Christine Pullein-Thompson, Wait for Me Phantom horse, London: Award Publications Limited, published 1997, →ISBN, page 64:

A dish made with beaten eggs cooked in a frying pan without stirring, flipped over to cook on both sides, and sometimes filled or topped with other foodstuffs, for example cheese or chives.


egg

egg (countable and uncountable, plural eggs)

→⇒ German: not the yellow from the egg

Jamaican Creole: eg

Sranan Tongo: eksi

The noun is derived from Middle English eg, egg, egge (“egg of a domestic or wild fowl; egg of a snake”) [and other forms] (originally Northern England and Northeast Midlands), from Old Norse egg (“egg”), from Proto-Germanic *ajją (“egg”) (by Holtzmann’s law), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm (“egg”), probably from *h₂éwis (“bird”), from *h₂ew- (“to clothe oneself, dress; to be dressed”) (in the sense of an animal clothed in feathers). Doublet of huevo, oeuf, and ovum.
The native English ey [and other forms] (plural eyren) (obsolete), from Old English ǣġ, is also derived from Proto-Germanic *ajją. It survived into at least c. 16th century before being fully displaced by egg.
The verb is derived from the noun.

wôwan

approximately spherical or ellipsoidal body produced by birds, insects, reptiles, and other animals, housing the embryo within a membrane or shell during its development

ou

thing which looks like or is shaped like an egg

egg

person regarded as having not yet realized they are transgender, or who has not yet come out as transgender or is in the early stages of transitioning; one’s lack of awareness that one is transgender

kill the goose that lays the golden eggs

there's more than one way to cook an egg

there's more than one way to crack an egg

In the Fall into the division of labor, [Claude] Lévi-Strauss sees the great hunters trading women to create the exogamous bonds of one hunting band with another. The egg is, but the sperm does. The tiny sperm may be furious in its activity, but its highway to the egg is paved by the alkaline trail set down by the Great Mother.

1981, William Irwin Thompson, “Hominization”, in The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture (A Lindisfarne Series Book), New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press, →ISBN, part 2 (The Transformations of Prehistory), page 80:

Although they serve the same function across the plant, animal and fungal kingdoms, sperm and eggs vary wildly in their structure and biochemistry, even among closely related species. […] Many genes that determine sperm and egg structure and biochemistry are rapidly evolving, constantly changing the chemical environment necessary for the sperm to bind to the egg.

2013 May-June, Katrina G. Claw, “Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, New Haven, Conn.: Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2013-04-22, abstract, page 210:

(also cytology) Synonym of ovum (“the female gamete of an animal”); an egg cell.


egg

en-verb

egg (third-person singular simple present eggs, present participle egging, simple past and past participle egged)

eggs (present singular third-person)
egging (participle present)
egged (participle past)
egged (past)

To collect the eggs (noun sense 1.1) of wild birds.


clutch

→ Dutch: kluts (“clutch”)

From Middle English clucchen, clicchen, cluchen, clechen, cleken, from Old English clyċċan (“to clutch, clench”), from Proto-West Germanic *klukkjan, from Proto-Germanic *klukjaną, from Proto-Germanic *klu- (“to ball up, conglomerate, amass”), from Proto-Indo-European *glew- (“to ball up; lump, mass”).
Cognate with Swedish klyka (“clamp, fork, branch”). The noun is from Middle English cleche, cloche, cloke ("claw, talon, hand"; compare Scots cleuk, cluke, cluik (“claw, talon”)), of uncertain origin, with the form probably assimilated to the verb.
Alternative etymology derives Old English clyċċan from Proto-Germanic *klēk- (“claw, hand”), from Proto-Indo-European *glēk-, *ǵlēḱ- (“claw, hand; to clutch, snatch”). If so, then cognate with Irish glac (“hand”).

gloss

The pedal in a car that disengages power and torque transmission from the engine (through the drivetrain) to the drive wheels.

enbrage

The pedal in a car that disengages power transmission

cloche

Caribbean Islands, Colombian Atlantic Coast

Any device for gripping an object, as at the end of a chain or tackle.


clutch

Variant form of cletch, from Middle English cleken (“to hatch”), perhaps from Old Norse klekja (“to hatch”).

For instance, baby chicks influence their mother’s behaviour by giving high piercing cheeps when they are lost or cold. This usually has the immediate effect of summoning the mother, who leads the chick back to the main clutch.

1976, Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, Kindle edition, OUP Oxford, published 2016, page 82:

A brood of chickens or a sitting of eggs; a sitting.


fried egg

(golf, slang) A golf ball half-buried in sand in a bunker.


hatch

en-verb

hatch (third-person singular simple present hatches, present participle hatching, simple past and past participle hatched)

hatches (present singular third-person)
hatching (participle present)
hatched (participle past)
hatched (past)

From Middle English hacche, hacchen (“to propagate”), from Old English *hæċċan, āhaċċian (“to peck out; hatch”), from Proto-Germanic *hakjaną.
Cognate with German hecken ‘to breed, spawn’, Danish hække (“to hatch”), Swedish häcka (“to breed”); akin to Latvian kakale ‘penis’.

I'm hatching this mysterious egg I found in the forest.

(transitive) To incubate eggs; to cause to hatch.


hatch

These pullets are from an April hatch.

(poultry) A group of birds that emerged from eggs at a specified time.


caviar

en-noun

caviar (countable and uncountable, plural caviars)

From Middle French caviar, from Italian caviaro or Ottoman Turkish خاویار (havyar), from Persian خاویار (xâvyâr). Doublet of ajvar.

Roe of the sturgeon or of certain other large fish, considered a delicacy.

havjar

roe of the sturgeon or other large fish (black caviar)


roe

roe (countable and uncountable, plural roes)

From Middle English rowe, rowne, roun, rawne, from Old English *hrogn (“spawn, fish eggs, roe”), from Proto-Germanic *hrugnaz, *hrugną (“spawn, roe”), from Proto-Indo-European *krek- (“(frog) spawn”).
Cognate with Dutch roge (“roe”), German Low German Rögen (“roe”), German Rogen (“roe”), Danish rogn, ravn (“roe”), Swedish rom (“roe”), Icelandic hrogn (“roe”), Lithuanian kurkulaĩ (“frog spawn”), Russian кряк (krjak, “frog spawn”).


eggnog

en-noun

eggnog (countable and uncountable, plural eggnogs)

American English c. 1775 (although drinks like it are attested far earlier, e.g. posset, of which a monastic Christmas recipe used eggs), from egg + nog.
The second element is uncertain and long-debated; prominent claims include Norfolk dialect nog (“strong ale”), or a clipping of noggin (“small, carved wooden mug used to serve alcohol”) (q.v.). Other hypotheses include a variant of grog (“rum-and-water cocktail”), and descent from Old Norse (compare wassail).

A beverage based on milk, eggs, sugar, and nutmeg; often made alcoholic with rum, brandy, or whisky; popular at Christmas.


boiled egg

An egg which has been cooked in the shell in boiling water. It can be hard-boiled or soft-boiled.


Easter egg

/ˈiː.stəɹ ˌɛɡ/

Adventure (1980 video game)#Easter_egg
Easter egg

From Easter + egg. Cognate with German Low German Ooosterei (“Easter egg”), Middle High German ōsterei ("Easter egg"; > modern German Osterei). So called because eggs would be eaten during Easter to break the fasting during Lent. (No eggs, dairy, meat except fish, lard, or foods containing these ingredients could be eaten during Lent.) The computing sense is from the early 1980s, popularized by the video game Adventure.

gloss

"Easter egg"; > modern German <i class="Latn mention" lang="de">Osterei</i>

Because eggs were inexpensive in most regions, the practice of decorating Easter eggs crossed all social classes and remained somewhat simple.

2009, Ace Collins, chapter 23, in Stories Behind the Traditions and Songs of Easter:

A dyed or decorated egg, traditionally associated with Easter and, in the Western European tradition, sometimes hidden for children to find.


ovulate

en-verb

ovulate (third-person singular simple present ovulates, present participle ovulating, simple past and past participle ovulated)

ovulates (present singular third-person)
ovulating (participle present)
ovulated (participle past)
ovulated (past)

From ovul(e) + -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French ovuler.

Other studies have shown that women living near the equator have a marked tendency to ovulate during the full moon.

1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 96:


egg salad

en-noun

egg salad (usually uncountable, plural egg salads)

A dish made primarily of chopped hard-boiled eggs and mayonnaise, often including other ingredients such as celery or mustard; it is frequently used as a sandwich spread.


yolk

yolk (countable and uncountable, plural yolks)

From Middle English yolke, yelke, ȝolke, ȝelke, from Old English ġeolca, ġeoloca, ġioleca (“the yellow part, yolk”), from ġeolu (“yellow”).

To make meringue, you have to separate the white from the yolk.

The yellow, spherical part of an egg that is surrounded by the white albumen, and serves as nutriment for the growing young.

кӏэнкӏэ кугъу

kʼɛnkʼɛ kʷuğʷu

джэдыкӏэ кугъуэ

džɛdəkʼɛ kʷuğʷɛ

Wool-growers appear to entertain different opinions in regard to the effect which yolk has on the value of the fleece. Some seem to suppose that the aggregate amount which they receive for their wool is increased from the greater weight which it possesses by being charged with this substance[…]

The grease in a sheep's fleece; lanolin.


yolk

en-verb

yolk (third-person singular simple present yolks, present participle yolking, simple past and past participle yolked)

yolks (present singular third-person)
yolking (participle present)
yolked (participle past)
yolked (past)

This is surprising in that these females were yolking up their clutch of eggs

1981, Barbara Rae Rose, Activity and Reproduction in Iguanid Lizards, page 12:


albumen

en-noun

albumen (countable and uncountable, plural albumens or albumina)

From Latin albūmen (“white of an egg”), from albus (“white”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élbʰos (“white”).

(archaic) The endosperm of flowering plants.


egg white

egg white (countable and uncountable, plural egg whites)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-egg white.wav

Probably a remodelled form of Middle English whit of an egge (“white of an egg”). Compare Old Norse eggja-hvíta (“egg-white”), German Eiweiß.

der

The clear part of an egg surrounding the yolk, which turns white when cooked or beaten.


scrambled egg

en-noun

scrambled egg (countable and uncountable, plural scrambled eggs)

The gold braid sense is by fancied resemblance to the literal sense, with irreverence implied.

(usually in the plural) A dish made by beating and cooking eggs, sometimes mixed with milk, and typically stirred while cooking.


oology

/əʊˈɒləd͡ʒi/

LL-Q1860_(eng)-I learned some phrases-oology.wav

From oo- (prefix meaning ‘relating to eggs or ova’) + -logy (suffix indicating a branch of learning or study of a subject). The word is cognate with French oologie, Late Latin oologia.

confix

Yet it is not difficult to see that Oölogy promises to become an important auxiliary both in aiding to determine natural divisions, and to enable us to decide in regard to varieties the specific identity of which is in doubt. Let us take an instance. [...] Without looking at all to the external structure of these birds, Oölogy would seem to indicate that the Cat-Bird, though closely allied to the true Mocking-Bird, is at least one step, and that the Brown Thrush is even farther, removed.

1857, Thomas M[ayo] Brewer, “Introduction”, in North American Oölogy (Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge; XI), part I (Raptores and Fissirostres), Washington, D.C.: Published by the Smithsonian Institution, published 1859, →OCLC, page vi:

Now here is just one of those cases, which bring the study of Oology, and very justly, into more discredit than any other thing. M. [Alfred] Moquin-Tandon's egg is very likely that of a Booted Eagle; but where is the proof of the fact? Absolutely, as we read it, there is none. [...] There are many collectors in this country, who yearly spend large sums in buying eggs from dealers—utterly un-identified, or with (since identification of eggs has lately become somewhat fashionable) a plausible history, but one that will not bear investigation.

1858 December, “IX. Review of Mr. [C. R.] Brees ‘Birds of Europe Not Observed in the British Isles.’”, in Philip Lutley Sclater, editor, The Ibis, a Magazine of General Ornithology, volume I, number I, London: N[icholas] Trübner and Co., […], published January 1859, →ISSN, →OCLC, pages 96–97:

A short sketch, such as Mr. [Cholmondeley] Pennell's, of the economy of the Bird, would be a most valuable addition to our ordinary ornithologies and oologies. He said oologies, for even in the egg of the bird the special needs of the forthcoming bird seemed to be more especially provided for than in the eggs of other families much higher in the scale.

[1864 February, [George] Rolleston, “Meeting of British Association. [Physiology.]”, in David A. P. Watt, editor, The Canadian Naturalist and Geologist: A Bi-monthly Journal of Natural Science […], volume I (Second Series), Montreal, Que.: Dawson Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 76:

When we come to examine the oölogy of the great Columbo-gallinaceous group, one well represented in the avifauna of the United States, it is possible to make the comparisons quite extensive, owing to [Charles] Bendire's exhaustive labors, as seen in his fine quarto volume already spoken of at the beginning of this paper.

1893, R[obert] W[ilson] Shufeldt, “Comparative Oölogy of North American Birds”, in Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, Showing the Operations, Expenditures, and Condition of the Institution for the Year Ending June 30, 1892: Report of the U.S. National Museum (The Miscellaneous Documents of the House of Representatives for the Second Session of the Fifty-second Congress; Mis. Doc. 114, part 2), Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 473:

The philosophy behind this meeting was to bring together scientists who specialised in the incubation and physiology of avian embryos with those workers interested in reptilian eggs and embryos. Leading authorities within many fields of incubation, oology and embryology were invited to give a presentation reviewing current knowledge within their sphere of research.

1991, D. Charles Deeming, Mark W. J. Ferguson, editors, Egg Incubation: Its Effects on Embryonic Development in Birds and Reptiles, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page ix:

Besides his life as a student, Han [Henri Jacob Victor Sody] continued to be interested in ornithology, particularly oology. Apparently, he was a diligent collector of birds' eggs, both in the vicinity of Wageningen, and on excursion for this purpose to other places (Breda, Texel, etc.), and compiled a catalogue of eggs collected by him in The Netherlands.

1989, J. H. Becking, “Biography”, in Henri Jacob Victor Sody (1892–1959): His Life and Work: A Biographical and Bibliographical Study, Leiden: E[vert] J[an] Brill, →ISBN, section c (Scientific Interests and Achievements), page 8:

In the late nineteenth century, there was a huge upsurge of interest in natural history collections by scientists and ordinary citizens. Victorian homes were commonly decorated with collections of stuffed birds, and oology, the study and collection of eggs blown clean of their contents, was all the rage.

2010, Peter Capainolo, Carol A. Butler, “Raptor Reproduction”, in How Fast can a Falcon Dive?: Fascinating Answers to Questions about Birds of Prey (Animal Q&A), New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, →ISBN, page 84:

Dave Marshall, Frank Graham, Chuck Henny, Lloyd Kiff, Phil Cuthbert, and Joe Mazzoni shared their knowledge of hunting, oölogy, and bird-skin preservation, and provided philosophical insight concerning men's desire to hunt.

2011 December, Renée Thompson, “Acknowledgements”, in The Plume Hunter, Torrey, Ut.: Torrey House Press, →ISBN, page 260:

Rudolf II's mania for [Bartholomeus] Spranger's porny Roman goddesses, Ferdinand II's devotion to big altarpieces, sudden gusts of oology, a bouquet of flowers made from precious stones given to Franz I by Maria Theresa – these all now became part of public sensibility.

2013, Simon Winder, Danubia: A Personal History of Habsburg Europe, London: Picador, →ISBN; republished London: Picador, 2014, →ISBN, page 425:

Barely a day went by when Franklin [Delano Roosevelt] didn't talk about the world of birds. At ten years old he started dabbling in oology, the collecting of eggs and nests.

2016, Douglas Brinkley, “‘All that is in Me Goes back to the Hudson’”, in Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America, New York, N.Y.: Harper, HarperCollins, →ISBN, part I (The Education of a Hudson River Conservationist, 1882–1932), section III:

Oology is the 'pseudo-science' of egg-collecting. For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries this was a respectable and popular activity, very much part of the ornithological establishment. However, as bird protection gradually gained in popularity, egg-collecting declined, and was finally made illegal under various Bird Protection Acts following the Second World War.

2016, Stephen Moss, “How Do We Relate to Birds?”, in Do Birds have Knees?: All Your Bird Questions Answered (RSPB series), London, New York, N.Y.: Bloomsbury Natural History, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 225, column 2:

The hobby or practice of collecting birds' eggs, especially those of wild birds.


egg yolk

en-noun

egg yolk (countable and uncountable, plural egg yolks)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-egg yolk.wav

From Middle English egyolk, egge yolk, equivalent to egg + yolk. Compare Dutch eigeel (“egg yolk”), German Low German Eigeel (“egg yolk”), German Eigelb (“egg yolk”), Swedish äggula (“egg yolk”).

The central part of a chicken’s (or other bird’s) egg, yellow when fresh.


eggshell

From Middle English eggeshell, ege schelle, egg-shel, egg shelle (also as Middle English eye schell, ey-schel, ey-schelle), partially continuing Old English ǣġsċill, ǣġsċyll (“eggshell”), equivalent to egg + shell. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Oaierskil (“eggshell”), Dutch eierschaal (“eggshell”), German Eierschale (“eggshell”), Danish æggeskal (“eggshell”), Swedish äggskal (“eggshell”).

cog

Like Egge-ſhels mou'd upon their Surges, crack'd / As eaſily ’gainſt our Rockes.

1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], page 380:


eggshell

en-adj

eggshell (comparative more eggshell, superlative most eggshell)

more eggshell (comparative)
most eggshell (superlative)

eggshell porcelain

Exhibiting the thinness, translucency or near-transparency, and fragility of an eggshell.

This clear varnish is available in gloss, matt and eggshell finishes.

Very matt, having a low reflexivity, like an eggshell.


hard-boiled

hard-boiled (comparative more hard-boiled, superlative most hard-boiled)

more hard-boiled (comparative)
most hard-boiled (superlative)

Cooked to a solid consistency. (of a boiled egg)

He told me afterward that he tried to find his folks and square himself—and maybe it was the truth—but some of the hard-boiled townspeople found him, instead, and he had a running fight all the way to the depot.

1916 March 11, Charles E. Van Loan, “His Folks”, in Saturday Evening Post:

'Some big, hard-boiled egg meets up with a pretty face, and bingo! He cracks up and melts.'

1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 31:

Christ, maybe that blond was only a bitch after all. Maybe she put out even to the punks. Come to think of it, she looked a little hard-boiled. The kind of a broad who knew a hell of a lot.

1934, James T. Farrell, chapter 17, in The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan:

Callous and unsentimental. (of a person, especially a detective)

(literature, especially detective fiction) Written in a laconic, dispassionate, often ironic style for a realistic, unsentimental effect.


eggcup

From egg + cup. Compare Swedish äggkopp.

A small dish used to support a boiled egg while it is eaten.

dalc'her-vioù

a small dish used to support a boiled egg while it is eaten


son-in-law egg

A calque of Thai ไข่ลูกเขย (khai luuk kheeuy), from ไข่ (khai, “egg”) + ลูกเขย (luuk kheeuy, “son-in-law”).

A boiled egg that has been shelled and then deep-fried.

kai leuk koey

variously spelled; a Romanization of the Thai term


eggy

eggy (comparative eggier, superlative eggiest)

eggier (comparative)
eggiest (superlative)

an eggy smell/taste


century egg

Almonds, parched watermelon seeds—esteemed as a great delicacy—spareribs covered with a mixture of molasses sugar, fried fish, chicken livers and century eggs were put on the table at once.

1912 November 15, “Chop suey hoax exposed”, in The Mixer & Server, volume 21, number 11, page 35:

More or less is heard about the Chinese "century eggs." These are duck eggs which have been preserved by a coating of mud, rice hulls, lime and wood ashes.

1922 December 20, E. C. Heinsohn, “Eggs and Poultry in China”, in The Egg Reporter, page 28:

In the middle of the platter were century eggs, eggs which have been left in lime for a long, long time until the yolk has become dark and the white gelatinous.

1953, Dorothy Snapp McCammon, We tried to stay, page 95:

There are many varieties of congee but the most common is this salted pork with century egg.

2015, Deborah Lowe Kwok Yun, The Little Cantonese Cookbook:

King Chef (2F Main Mall, 0932 323 1871) serves healthy food and authentic Cantonese cuisine in a fine dining setup. For Father's Day, treat the whole family to its dim sum platters! It has a roasted platter which includes soyed chicken, roast duck, barbecued pork asado, fried five-spice roll, and soyed cucumber with century egg. Another option is the steamed dim sum platter, where you can devour a spread of hakaw, pork & shrimp siomai, Japanese siomai, beancurd roll, and Taosi spareribs.

2022 June 18, “Go on a Binondo food trip this Father's Day at Lucky Chinatown”, in Manila Bulletin, Manila: Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-06-22:

A Chinese delicacy made by preserving a duck, chicken or quail egg in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime and rice hulls for several weeks to several months, depending on the method of processing.


sunny side up

(US) Of an egg: fried on one side, served with the unbroken relatively soft yolk on the top.

(of a newborn) Born with one's head facing upward, as opposed to the normal downward-facing birth.


pickled egg

Jars of pickled eggs are seen in British pubs, where they are served as bar snacks.

(British) An egg, usually from a hen, that has been pickled in vinegar, giving the outside a brown colour.


glair

en-noun

glair (countable and uncountable, plural glairs)

From Middle English glaire, from Old French glaire, from Vulgar Latin *clāria, a substantive use of Latin clārus (“clear”).

If you beat an egg white until a froth forms on the surface, the clear liquid below the froth is glair.

2021, Hana Videen, The Wordhord, Profile Books, published 2022, page 65:

Egg white, especially as used in various industrial preparations.


pace egg

A hard-boiled coloured egg traditionally made at Easter, often given to relatives and friends as a token of goodwill. It was traditional to jarp with the eggs before eating them.

County Durham website dedicated to preservation of dialect terms


jarp

Borrowed from Scots jaup (“(noun) dash or splash of mud, water, etc.; broken piece, fragment; light blow, slap; (verb) of water: to dash; to splash; to cause a splash by striking the surface of or throwing water; to bespatter or splash (mud, water, etc.); (obsolete) to knock about, manhandle”), perhaps from jalp, jilp (“to spill, splash, squirt”), probably originally imitative of a splash.

bor

Making these Easter or anytime decorated hard-boiled eggs is a tradition in northern England where they are known as paste eggs (or pace eggs as they are called in other areas). They are used in jarping competitions, in which each child holds an egg pointy end up and tries to crack their opponent's egg with one jarp, without breaking their own. Then everyone eats the eggs.

2017, Linda Tubby, “Flower-power Paste Eggs”, in Cracked: Creative and Easy Ways to Cook with Eggs, London: Kyle Books, →ISBN:

(Cumbria, Ireland, Northumberland, Yorkshire, games) The act of knocking one's pace egg (“a coloured hard-boiled egg traditionally made at Easter”) against that of an opponent, with the aim of cracking the other's egg and leaving one's own intact, an Easter custom in many countries.

pääsiäismunien yhteen napautus

act of knocking one’s pace egg against that of an opponent, with the aim of cracking the other's egg and leaving one’s own intact, an Easter custom in many countries


pysanka

Borrowed from Ukrainian пи́санка (pýsanka), from писа́ти (pysáty, “to write”), referring to writing on an egg with a stylus in a wax-resist dyeing process, from Proto-Slavic *pьsati, related to *pьstrъ (“feathered”), + feminine ending -ка (-ka).

A hand-decorated Ukrainian Easter egg with intricate designs.

пі́санка

Easter egg decorated with intricate designs


kenning

From Middle English kenning, kening (“instruction, teaching; experience, knowledge; sight, view”), from kennen (“to make known, point out, reveal; to direct, instruct, teach; to know, perceive”) + -ing. Kennen is derived from Old English cennan (“to make known, declare”), from Proto-West Germanic *kannijan, from Proto-Germanic *kannijaną (“to make known”), the causative form of *kunnaną (“to know, be familiar with, recognize; to be able to, know how”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”).
Compare Danish kending (“acquaintance”), and see further at ken. By surface analysis, ken + -ing.

inh

Scylley is a Kenning, that is to ſay about an xx. Miles from the very Weſteſte Point of Cornewaulle.

1711, John Leland, edited by Thomas Hearne, The Itinerary of John Leland the Antiquary. … Publish’d from the Original MS. in the Bodleian Library by Thomas Hearne M.A. To which is Added Antoninus’s Itinerary through Britain, with Various Readings and Dʳ. Robert Talbot’s Annotations upon It, volume III, Oxford: Printed at the Theater for the publisher, →OCLC, page 7:

The obſcure text, of which the light is only to be ſeen by groping our way through "antres vaſt," and at times through "deſarts idle" of earth beneath, is frequently ſo highly elevated in the page, that it is barely entitled to [John] Milton's appellation of darkneſs viſible; and now and then it ſoars even above this, mounting (to uſe an old phraſe,) beyond a kenning.

1793 September, “Art. XII. The Plays and Poems of William Shakspeare; Collated Verbatim with the Most Authentic Copies, and Revised: [...] By Edmund Malone. Crown 8vo. 10 Vols. about 600 Pages in each. The First Volume Divided into Two. 3l. 17s. Boards. Cadell, &c. 1790. [book review]”, in The Monthly Review; or, Literary Journal, Enlarged, volume XII, London: Printed for R[alph] Griffiths; and sold by T[homas] Becket, in Pall Mall, published 1794, →OCLC, footnote, page 56:

If a person hires a ship and loads her or not entirely, and wishes to unload her, before she sets sail, he shall pay half the ship’s freight. But if the ship has sailed a kenning’s way seawards, he shall pay the shipmaster his full freight. [Footnote: kenning […] This phrase is applied in the Rutter of the Sea to signify the distance from one headland to another in sight. Vol. I., p. 115.]

1876, “Jus Maritimum Lubecense, in Usus Osterlingorum Descriptum, Anno 1299 = Code of Maritime Law, Drawn Up at Lubeck for the Use of the Osterlings, A.D. 1299”, in Travers Twiss, editor, Momenta Juridica. The Black Book of the Admiralty. Appendix.—Part IV. [...] Published by the Authority of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury, under the Direction of the Master of the Rolls (Rerum Britannicarum Medii Ævi Scriptores, or Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages), volume IV, London: Longman & Co., Paternoster Row; Trübner & Co., Ludgate Hill; …, →OCLC, paragraph XVIII, page 369:

(obsolete) The range or extent of vision, especially at sea; (by extension) a marine measure of approximately twenty miles.


kenning

From ken (“to beget, bring forth”), from Middle English kennen (“to beget, conceive (offspring); to give birth to”), from Old English cennan, gecennan (“to beget (offspring); to give birth to; to bring forth, produce”); see further at etymology 1.

The ſtreine or kenning of the egge.

1585, “Oui vmbilicus”, in Iohn Higins, transl., The Nomenclator, or Remembrancer of Adrianus Iunius, London: Ralph Newberie and Henrie Denham, page 54:

(zoology, obsolete, rare) A chalaza or tread of an egg (a spiral band attaching the yolk of the egg to the eggshell); a cicatricula.


kenning

A learned borrowing from Old Norse kenning, from kenna (“to know; to perceive”), from Proto-Germanic *kannijaną (“to make known”); see further at etymology 1. Compare can, keen, ken.

lbor

[A]s we are all aware, the Skalds used all sorts of kennings from Jewels, Gold, Silver, &c., to betoken Women, &c. Gold is called "The Sea's Blink (Blik)", and so on, and a female is "Gold's Mistress", "The Goddess of the Golden Jewel", and so forth.

1867–1868, George Stephens, “Bracteates”, in The Old-Northern Runic Monuments of Scandinavia and England, Now First Collected and Deciphered, volume II, London: John Russell Smith; Copenhagen: Michaelsen and Tillge; printed by H. H. Thiele, →OCLC, pages 509–510:

I venture to say that a close study of the style of Piers Plowman would thoroughly dispose of alliteration as chief factor in the kenning-process.

1887 January, Francis B. Gummere, “Wilhelm Bode: Die Kenningar in der angelsächsen Dichtung. Mit Ausblicken auf andere Litteraturen. Darmstadt und Leipzig, 1886. [Strasburg Dissertation].”, in A. Marshall Elliott, editor, Modern Language Notes, volume II, number 1, Baltimore, Md.: [Johns Hopkins Press], →ISSN, →OCLC, column 36:

If we now move to the second helmingr, Kock tries to unscramble the two kenningar[…], but this is over-zealous, since there are ample parallels for such braiding of kenning elements. Finnbogi interprets the kenning 'ǫrbeiðanda bǫðvar jǫkla' contextually, to mean 'the one who provoked the warrior into drawing his sword' (Orkneyinga saga, 202).

2006, Viking and Medieval Scandinavia, Turnhout, Antwerp, Belgium: Brepols, →OCLC, page 149:

The original also makes frequent use of the circumlocutory type of poetic expression known as the kenning, which consists (in its simplest form) of a base-word (always a noun, sometimes the second of the two elements in a compound word) accompanied by a determinant (either a noun in the genitive or, in the case of a compound-word kenning, the first of the compound's two elements).

2007, Andrew Wawn with Graham Johnson and John Walter, editors, Constructing Nations, Reconstructing Myth: Essays in Honour of T. A. Shippey (Making in the Middle Ages; 9), Turnhout, Antwerp, Belgium: Brepols, →ISBN, page 172:

(poetry) A metaphorical compound or phrase, used especially in Germanic poetry (Old English or Old Norse) whereby a simple thing is described in an allusive way.

kenning

metaphorical phrase used in Germanic poetry


kenning

unknown

Origin unknown

In the hall. One large table, with frame. 10s. ij cobbordes 8s. j fourme, j chaire, and j kenninge measure, 12d.

1585–1586 January 18, “LXIII. Testamentum Johannis Ogle. [63. Will of John Ogle.]”, in [William Greenwell], editor, Wills and Inventories from the Registry at Durham. Part II (The Publications of the Surtees Society; XXXVIII), Durham: Published for the Society by George Andrews, Durham; London: Whittaker and Co., 13 Ave Maria Lane; T. and W. Boone, 29 New Bond Street; Edinburgh: Blackwood and Sons, published 1860, →OCLC, page 132:

He called one day at Mr. Hepple's, of Needless Hall, in a forlorn condition, seeking his seed (a present of corn given at seed-time). […] After this conversation, Mr. Hepple served him with a kenning of oats, which was a much greater quantity than he usually gave on such occasions.

1828, chapter XXX, in E. Mackenzie, editor, compiled by James Thompson, A New, Improved, and Authentic Life of James Allan, the Celebrated Northumberland Piper; Detailing His Surprising Adventures in Various Parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, including a Complete Description of the Manners and Customs of the Gipsy Tribes. Collected from Sources of Genuine Authority, by James Thompson, with Explanatory Notes by E. Mackenzie, …, Newcastle upon Tyne: Printed and published by Mackenzie and Dent, St. Nicholas' Church-yard [...], →OCLC, page 460:

(Northern England) A dry measure equivalent to half a bushel; a container with that capacity.


frittata

Borrowed from Italian frittata, from fritto (“fried”).

The classic Italian egg pie, the frittata is an attractive dish that requires no fancy rolling or split-second timing... Much of the preparation for most frittate can be done in advance[.]

1998, Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything, page 740:

A crustless quiche: a molded omelette in which vegetables, cheese, etc., are mixed into the eggs and cooked together.


good egg

Probably a humorous antonym of bad egg (“someone whose behaviour is reprehensible or irresponsible; a rogue”).

The chemist and the bacteriologist gave him the third degree and, like most criminals, it was found difficult to tell just when a good egg began to be bad, and it appeared that it depended largely on how he was handled, especially in his youth, […]

1915, Good Housekeeping, volume 6, New York, N.Y.: Phelps Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 371:

Tom speaks: "I have a girl friend I want you to meet. She's a good egg."

1942, The Texas Outlook, volume 26, Austin, Tex.: Texas State Teachers Association, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 42:

Johnny Parker is in town. I like Johnny. He's a big shot in pictures and he's a good egg.

1944, James T[homas] Farrell, To Whom It May Concern: More Stories, Garden City, N.Y.: The Sun Dial Press, →OCLC, page 23:

In contrast, Saito […] was one of the good eggs … He would let us rest whenever the coast was clear and even shared the odd cigarette.

1997, Brereton Greenhous, “Liberation”, in “C” Force to Hong Kong: A Canadian Catastrophe, 1941–1945 (Canadian War Museum Historical Publication; no. 30), Toronto, Ont., Oxford: Dundurn Press, →ISBN, page 141:

"And the fifth immortal we know tried to kill you." "He is a bad egg. We stick to good''' eggs."

2017 May 26, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Friday, May 26, 2017:

Drogon sniffs Jon [Snow]—and Dany [Daenerys Targaryen] apparently doesn't care enough about Jon's life to get off Drogon so she can witness their interaction on the other side of his fat neck and make sure her son isn't eating his cousin—and seems to sense he's a good egg at the least and quite possibly that he's a Targaryen.

2017 August 13, Brandon Nowalk, “Oldtown Offers One Last Game-changing Secret as Game Of Thrones Goes behind Enemy Lines (Newbies)”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 2017-12-04:

(British, US, idiomatic) A good person, someone to be trusted; a friend.


bad egg

An allusion to an egg that has gone bad or turned rotten.

(literal) An egg that has gone bad; a rotten egg.


poached egg

With adolescent perversity, he turned up his nose at all of the elegant French items on the Closerie's menu and scandalized the waitron by demanding corned-beef hash—fried extra crisp—with poached eggs, a slice of fresh papaya with lime, banana-walnut bread, and a pitcher of Mexican chocolate.

1992, Julian May, Jack the Bodiless, Knopf, →ISBN, →OL:

An egg that has been cooked by gently breaking it into simmering or very hot water.


battery cage

(agriculture) A small cage in which a hen is kept to lay eggs.


over easy

(US) Of an egg prepared as food, fried on one side until most of the whites have cooked, then lightly fried on the other to finish cooking the whites, leaving the yolk unbroken and slightly soft (runny).


eggless

You can vary eggless ice cream with flavors of your choice.

2007 August 1, Mark Bittman, “From Eggless Custard, Summer’s Iced Treat”, in New York Times:

無蛋的 /无蛋的 (wú dàn de, literally “having no animal eggs”)

無卵的 /无卵的 (wú luǎn de, literally “having no ova”)


cackleberry

From cackle + berry, from the sound of a hen and the rounded shape of an egg.

He had returned with a chipped bowl full of hen's eggs. ‘Nice fresh cackleberries for your mum and dad.’

1985, Peter Carey, Illywhacker, Faber and Faber, published 2003, page 254:

Kestrels they hunted down for their clusters of mottled cackleberries.

2017, Benjamin Myers, The Gallows Pole, Bloomsbury, published 2019, page 218:


egglike

en-adj

egglike (comparative more egglike, superlative most egglike)

more egglike (comparative)
most egglike (superlative)

Resembling or characteristic of an egg; ovate.


oologist

a person who studies or specializes in oology


omelette Arnold Bennett

en-noun

omelette Arnold Bennett (plural omelettes Arnold Bennett)

After Enoch Arnold Bennett (1867–1931), English novelist.

An omelette containing smoked haddock and parmesan cheese.


buck rarebit

A Welsh rarebit topped with a poached egg.


shakshuka

bor

Arabic شَكْشُوكَة (šakšūka)

Coordinate term: menemen

Shakshuka came out of total obscurity and, in a couple of decades, evolved into one of the symbols of the local food renaissance. It then went on to conquer the world. If asked to name the top iconic Israeli dishes, most people would mention shakshuka next to hummus, falafel, and chopped salad.

2019, Einat Admony, Janna Gur, Shuk: From Market to Table, the Heart of Israeli Home Cooking, Artisan Books, →ISBN, page 54:

A Maghrebi dish of eggs simmered in a mixture of chopped tomatoes, chilies, cumin, peppers, and onions.

shakshuka

dish of eggs simmered in a mixture of vegetables and spices


eggcellent

en-adj

eggcellent (comparative more eggcellent, superlative most eggcellent)

more eggcellent (comparative)
most eggcellent (superlative)

When emptied of their contents and allowed to dry, chicken, duck, or goose eggshells form an “eggcellent” base that can be covered with polymer clay to form sturdy ornaments and decorative objects for Easter or other holidays.

2003, Sarajane Helm, Celebrations With Polymer Clay: 25 Seasonal Projects, Krause Publications, →ISBN, page 60:

Food trends specialist Phil Lempert offered several "eggcellent" ideas for marketing eggs during his recent remarks to the United Egg Producers.

2006 December 18, “'Eggcellent' ideas for food producers”, in Feedstuffs:

She Crabs laden with egg make very eggcellent soup.

2013, Deji Badiru, Iswat Badiru, Physics in the Nigerian Kitchen, iUniverse, →ISBN:

(informal, humorous) Excellent, when referring to eggs or Easter.


eggciting

eggciting (comparative more eggciting, superlative most eggciting)

more eggciting (comparative)
most eggciting (superlative)

The amniotic egg was an “eggciting” development for an animal that reproduces on land.

2004, Debbie Routh, Learning About Vertebrates, Mark Twain Media, →ISBN, page 24:

A somewhat classic and "eggciting" illustration of Newton's laws of motion is the egg drop experiment.

2006, Roger Hinrichs, Merlin H. Kleinbach, Energy: Its Use and the Environment, Thomson, →ISBN, page 61:

For children, this has to be Paris's most 'eggciting' restaurant, serving nothing but chicken eggs in the form of omelettes (more than 22 varieties), […]

2008, Anna Brooke, Frommer's Paris and Disneyland Resort Paris With Your Family, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 172:

(informal, humorous) Exciting, when referring to eggs.


eggstravaganza

The cake and egg show, advertised as an "eggstravaganza," last May in Tulsa, Oklahoma, may suggest to home economists elsewhere ways of helping to improve the egg marketing situation.

1945, The Journal of Home Economics, volume 37, page 95:

It's an eggstravaganza! Garden staff dye eggs donated by local markets and tuck them into nooks and crannies throughout the expansive grounds.

2002, Karen Hastings, Insiders' Guide to Santa Barbara: Including Channel Islands National Park, Insiders' Guide, →ISBN, page 225:

Throw yourself an eggstravaganza each and every day by including heart-healthy egg whites in a multitude of ways.

2013, Julie Feldman, Grocery Makeover: Small Changes for Big Results, Spry Publishing, →ISBN:

(informal, humorous) An extravaganza involving eggs.


eggstraordinary

eggstraordinary (comparative more eggstraordinary, superlative most eggstraordinary)

more eggstraordinary (comparative)
most eggstraordinary (superlative)

So whether you are in the mood for a frittata bursting with spinach and ham, or an omelette redolent with glazed onions, heat up the skillet, and get ready for an eggstraordinary delight.

1996, Sandra Woodruff, Secrets of Fat-Free Italian Cooking: Over 130 Low-Fat and Fat-Free, Traditional and Contemporary Recipes, Avery Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 39:

An "eggstraordinary" tip is the use of salt on eggs.

2000 January 15, Betty Saw, “Eggstremely versatile”, in New Straits Times:

Decorate “eggstraordinary” Easter eggs with your family's pictures on them to make a beautiful centerpiece for your table.

2006, Sandra Magsamen, Living Artfully: A Heart-full Guide of Ideas and Inspirations That Celebrate Life, Love, and Moments That Matter, Atria Books, published 2008, →ISBN:

(informal, humorous) Extraordinary, when referring to eggs or Easter.


thousand-year egg

en-noun

thousand-year egg (plural thousand-year eggs)


thousand-year-old egg

thousand-year-old egg (plural thousand-year-old eggs)


over medium

(US) Of an egg prepared as food, fried on both sides so as the whites are cooked, and the yolks are soft, but not runny.


eggling

Presumably from *eggle (“to sell eggs”) + -ing. Compare English eggler (“seller of eggs”).

No eggler will allow eggs to be contaminated, because he wants to sell at the best price he can get […] If the House says it is, then in my opinion the majority of those people must get out of eggling […]

1938, Ireland. Oireachtas. Dáil, Parliamentary debates; official report, volume 73, page 734:

The death of Dobbin of old age had put an end to his master's eggling, for he had no capital with which to buy another horse.

1945, Flora Thompson, Lark Rise to Candleford:

(archaic) The sale of eggs; the trade of an eggler.


eggling

"Ode X" in 1834, Charles L. S. Jones, American Lyrics
One Lovling scarcely's fledg'd. One, yet,
An eggling still remains;
A third, from forth the broken shell,
In chirping notes, complains.

But now the little Other eggling was making loud peeping sounds. It was hungry.

A small, miniature, undersized, or underdeveloped egg.


eggceptional

en-adj

eggceptional (comparative more eggceptional, superlative most eggceptional)

more eggceptional (comparative)
most eggceptional (superlative)

In the contest, food service operators have the opportunity to win a $2,000 first prize, $1,000 second prize and $500 third prize in both commercial and non-commercial divisions for their "eggceptional" egg entrees.

1990, The Poultry Times, volume 37, page 40:

A veteran executive of such eggceptional breakfast-oriented chains as The Good Egg and First Watch, […]

1994 June 15, Steve Weiss, “It's a marvelous morning for a Moondance”, in Restaurants & Institutions:

An 'eggceptional' Easter Egg Hunt takes place around the Dock on April 23 and 24, from 1pm-3pm.

2011 April 19, “A Cracking Time for the Kids”, in Liverpool Echo:

(informal, humorous) Exceptional, when referring to eggs or Easter.


Columbus egg

Presumably in reference to the apocryphal story behind the egg of Columbus, since the eggs in this dish would have their ends crushed to allow them to stand upright like bowls.

A hard-boiled egg cut in half and filled with a mixture of its yolk with ham, cream, and nutmeg.


friar's omelette

en-noun

friar's omelette (plural friars' omelettes)

A dish of beaten eggs fried with apples and breadcrumbs.


dippy eggs

dippy eggs pl (normally plural, singular dippy egg)

(UK, Pennsylvania) Eggs cooked over easy or soft-boiled.


over hard

(US) Of an egg prepared as food, fried on both sides all the way through, with the yolk intact.


eggel

Ron Allen and his wife, Libby, were enjoying their favorite breakfast, the eggel, an egg on bagel.

2015 August 16, E. B. Furgurson III, “Chick and Ruth's Delly: After half a century, it's still about family”, in Capital Gazette:

Try out the combo meals or even the eggels.

2018 March 2, Anastasia Carter, Eve Gross, “Best Restaurants In The 419”, in The Student Prints, Sylvania Northview High School, page 14:

Our whole menu is offered all day for those who want a lunch sandwich in the morning or an eggel in the afternoon.

2018, “No. 1 Sandwich Shop...AGAIN!!”, in Minot Daily News Readers' Choice 2018, page 13:


eggwich

Stop in the morning for espresso and the pita eggwich (scrambled eggs, peppers, onions and diced tomatoes with provolone).

2000, Nancy Woodworth, Richard Woodworth, Getaways for Gourmets in the Northeast, page 266:

In Stewart's, waiting for his bagel to toast, Anthony launched into some abbreviated Grunt and Grumble with the other men picking up coffee and eggwiches.

2007, Jon Katz, Dog Days: Dispatches from Bedlam Farm, page 119:

John butted a cigarette in the ashtray, got out of the car with his twenty-four-ounce coffee and sausage eggwich.

2018, Liam Sweeny, Street Whispers, unnumbered page:

A sandwich with an egg filling or egg patty.


guggy egg

(Ireland) A dish for a young child consisting of a soft-to-medium boiled egg with butter, salt, and pepper, served mashed in a cup.


eggsactly

en-adv

eggsactly (comparative more eggsactly, superlative most eggsactly)

more eggsactly (comparative)
most eggsactly (superlative)

Eggsactly, is exactly what we mean! In the highly competitive field of egg processing, fast, efficient production methods are essential for a profitable, successful operation.

1960, Everybody’s Poultry Magazine, page 9:

How to boil eggs eggsactly as ordered and at a profit.

Only two of the chocolate Easter eggs are ‘eggsactly’ the same size, which two?

2006, 1000 Junior Holiday Puzzles, New Dawn Press, Inc., published 2009, →ISBN:

Not Eggsactly What You Thought / Bird eggs are perfect structures that contain all of the materials needed to support the growth of a new life or, in many unlucky cases, provide a highly nutritious meal to any number of different critters.

2016, Richard Evershed, Nicola Temple, Sorting the Beef from the Bull: The Science of Food Fraud Forensics, Bloomsbury:

(informal, humorous) Exactly, when referring to eggs or Easter.


cackle-fart

He grabbed the last four of yesterday's eggs and a fistful of oats mixed with dried peas, making a mental note to see Fern Thorburn this day for more cackle-farts

2017, Tale Monger, Blood Line - Secrets:


cloud egg

The first time I saw cloud eggs I was amazed, and I couldn’t believe I had never made these light, puffy creations before. Runny yolk in the middle of a flavorful cloud of egg whites and seasoning—yum! The key is getting the egg whites super fluffy, so use a mixer unless you are looking for an intense arm workout.

2018, Jen Fisch, The Big Book of Ketogenic Diet Cooking: 200 Everyday Recipes and Easy 2-Week Meal Plans for a Healthy Keto Lifestyle, Sourcebooks, page 145:

A home cook has shared his simple trick for cooking the perfect fluffy, 'cloud eggs'. The father cracked a whole egg into a non-stick pan, which was sitting on his kitchen benchtop. Then he proceeded to whisk the egg whites with his hand, avoiding the yolk, until firm peaks form

2020 October 16, “The breakfast hack EVERYONE needs to know about: Home cook shares his simple secret for whipping up fluffy 'cloud eggs' in a matter of minutes”, in Daily Mail, archived from the original on 2024-04-30:

(usually in the plural) A dish made with whipped egg whites baked with the yolks nestled in the center, resulting in a fluffy texture.


onsen tamago

A hard-boiled egg slow-cooked in the waters of an onsen.


chick culling

In agriculture, the culling (destruction) of chicks (baby birds, typically chickens). In the egg industry, this means destruction of male chicks at birth because they won't lay eggs.