idioms - Origin and meaning of "lay an egg"


What is the origin and meaning of the idiom lay an egg? I believe the phrase is usually used for when a team goes out and plays really badly, but I am not certain why.



Answer



This was show-biz parlance in the 1920s, and it referred to a show that closed quickly after opening. The most famous usage was by Variety (a show-biz newspaper) in 1929 after the stock market crashed: "Wall Street Lays An Egg"


Some sources I have seen say that the original meaning came from the number 0, which is what is put up on a scoreboard when a team fails to score. It resembles an egg, and is still today called a "goose egg," so by extension when a team scores zero it "lays an egg."


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