Meanings
present singular third person lays an egg · participle present laying an egg · participle past laid an egg · past laid an egg
- literalTo produce an egg.
1 more example
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!'
1903, Henry Yule & al., Hobson-Jobson..., s.v. "DAWK, To lay a" - figurativelyidiomaticTo 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.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbSynonym of grow a tail.
Translations
Chinese Cantonese 產卵 /产卵
- 產卵 /产卵 (caan² leon⁵)to produce an egg
Chinese Mandarin 產卵 /产卵
- 產卵 /产卵 (chǎnluǎn)to produce an egg
Dutch leggen
- leggento produce an egg
Esperanto demeti ovon
- demeti ovonto produce an egg
Estonian munema
- munemato produce an egg
Finnish munia, munata
- muniato produce an egg
- munatato produce a failure or flop
- epäonnistuato produce a failure or flop
French pondre un œuf, faire un bide
- pondre un œufto produce an egg
- faire un bideto produce a failure or flop
- faire un flopto produce a failure or flop
German ein Ei legen
- ein Ei legento produce an egg
Hungarian tojást rak
- tojást rakto produce an egg
Icelandic verpa eggi
- verpa eggito produce an egg
Italian fare un buco nell'acqua
- fare un buco nell'acquato produce a failure or flop
Japanese 産卵する, 卵を生む
- 産卵する (sanran suru)to produce an egg
- 卵を生む (tamago wo umu)to produce an egg
- 失敗する (shippai suru)to produce a failure or flop
Polish składać jajo, złożyć jajo
- składać jajoto produce an egg
- złożyć jajoto produce an egg
- składać jajato produce an egg
- złożyć jajato produce an egg
Portuguese pôr um ovo, botar um ovo
- pôr um ovoto produce an egg
- botar um ovoto produce an egg
- ovarto produce an egg
- fazer fiascoto produce a failure or flop
- fracassarto produce a failure or flop
Romanian oua
- ouato produce an egg
Russian снести́ яйцо́, отложи́ть яйцо́
- снести́ яйцо́ (snestí jajcó)to produce an egg
- отложи́ть яйцо́ (otložítʹ jajcó)to produce an egg
- провали́ться (provalítʹsja)to produce a failure or flop
- потерпе́ть неуда́чу (poterpétʹ neudáču)to produce a failure or flop
Spanish poner un huevo, ovar
- poner un huevoto produce an egg
- ovarto produce an egg
- huevearto produce an egg
- poner un huevoto produce a failure or flop
- fracasarto produce a failure or flop
Swahili taga
- tagato produce an egg
Swedish värpa
- värpato produce an egg
Thai วางไข่
- วางไข่ (waang-kài)to produce an egg
Turkish yumurtlamak
- yumurtlamakto produce an egg
Cite this entry
lay an egg. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20an%20egg
“lay an egg.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20an%20egg. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lay an egg,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20an%20egg.
Source: lay an egg on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.