Dictionary

handegg en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio
• /ˈhændɛɡ/

Etymology

From hand + egg. The jocular implication is that the name football ought to denote using the foot to propel a ball-shaped [i.e. spherical] object, which is the usual case for soccer, as opposed to using the hand to propel an egg-shaped [i.e. spheroid] object.

Meanings

1. (humorous, slang, uncountable) Any of the sports that are called football but are played mainly with the hands and with a prolate spheroid ball; that is, American football and (less often) Canadian, Australian and rugby football (including league and union varieties).
   • When I get there he was watching handegg. I’m not into that hand egg shit so we got into a heated argument on which was better. 2011 February 1, "FileServe FileSonic XXX" (username), "Innocent High - Jynx Maze XXX - 303 MB", worlds_sexiest_women
   • Yes, but would anyone show up for a game of handegg? 2002 June 8, p/g, “Why does Arafat still draw breath?”, in alt.music.rush (Usenet):
   • You're wrong, kids all around the world play football, it just takes a ball and a pair of sneakers, whereas handegg requires a full body armour. 2011 February 8, "RVG" (username), "french pride", in fr.soc.politique
   • Football is certainly a misnomer, for the game is played not with the feet but with the hands, and the ball is not a ball but an egg. I propose that the game be played with the feet and with a ball, or else that it be called “hand-egg”. 1909 November 9, letter to the editor, in The New York Times
2. (countable, humorous, slang) The ball used to play such a game.

Forms

Deriveds

American handegg