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lay an egg

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Pronunciation

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Verb

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lay an egg (third-person singular simple present lays an egg, present participle laying an egg, simple past and past participle laid an egg)

  1. (of a bird or other egg-creating animal) To produce an egg.
    • 1903, Henry Yule & al., Hobson-Jobson..., s.v. "DAWK, To lay a":
      During the mutiny of 1857–58, when several young surgeons had arrived in India, whose services were urgently needed at the front, it is said that the Head of the Department to which they had reported themselves, directed them immediately to 'lay a dawk.' One of them turned back from the door, saying: 'Would you explain, Sir; for you might just as well tell me to lay an egg!'
  2. (idiomatic, of a person, organization, etc.) To produce a failure or flop; to do something which is unsuccessful.
    That author usually writes good stuff, but he really laid an egg with that last piece.

Translations

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