goose egg en · NOUN
Etymology
From the oval shape of both a goose's egg and the Arabic numeral zero (0).
Meanings
-
(Canada, US, informal) Zero; nothing.
I missed every question on the quiz and got a goose egg.
“Well, I guess it all worked out for you. And if you weren't about to be hanged, I'd be pretty dang jealous. I mean, you were in town for a day and made more friends than I ever had in my life. Zero. Goose egg. I try to stay positive, but it really sucks balls.”
2017 September 11, Brian Boyle, “West to Mexico” (15:46 from the start), in American Dad!, season 14, episode 22, spoken by Stan Smith (Seth MacFarlane):Grandmaster and grand duffer alike prefer the all-important point to the ignominious goose egg.
1949 March, I. A. Horowitz, “Readers' Games”, in Chess Review:Apple had picked up 13 nods, including 10 for Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which also drew a goose egg.
2024 March 10, Todd Spangler, “Oscars 2024: Netflix Wins Just One Award and Apple Shut Out After Streamers Combine for 32 Nominations”, in Variety, archived from the original on 28 Mar 2024:
- (informal) A swelling caused by a bump on the head.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| goose eggs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
Translations (15)
ru ши́шка (swelling or bump) · cmn 鴨蛋 /鸭蛋 (nothing) · nan-hbl 鴨卵 /鸭卵 (nothing) · de Beule (swelling or bump) · bg цицина (swelling or bump) · cmn 零蛋 (nothing) · nan-hbl 鴨母卵 /鸭母卵 (nothing) · yue 零雞蛋 /零鸡蛋 (nothing) · vi hột vịt (nothing) · de überhaupt nichts (nothing) · ru ды́рка от бу́блика (nothing) · bg нула (nothing) · apc دنجورة (swelling or bump) · ko 빵 (nothing) · ms telur ayam (nothing)