Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

goose egg

 - 3 dictionary results

goose egg

–noun Informal.
1. the numeral zero, often used to indicate the failure of a team to score in a game or unit of a game: a pitchers' duel, with nothing but goose eggs on the scoreboard.
2. a lump raised by a blow, esp. on the head.

Origin:
1350–1400; 1885–90, Americanism, for def. 1; ME: the egg of a goose
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To goose egg
goose egg  
n.   Slang
  1. Zero, especially when written as a numeral to indicate that no points have been scored.

  2. A swelling or lump, especially one caused by being struck.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

goose egg

Zero, nothing, especially a score of zero. For example, Our team did badly, earning goose egg, or My income from writing this year was goose egg. This expression is an Americanization of the earlier British duck's egg. [Mid-1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see goose egg on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: