Q.
Boy do you ever look foolish. I can’t believe you did/said that. Egg on your face. Wait, why eggs particularly to convey this smear embarrassment? Why not pudding, gravy, jam…?

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A.

i. Is this idiom rooted in common food challenges? Try working your way through a super soft-boiled egg in a nerve-wracked setting. You’re fully justified in worrying that a yoke driblet or two is gracing your face.

ii. Is this about having the misfortune to star in a dud play from the Middle Ages? The audience might well be packing ovoids and itching to throw them.

iii. Are you a guilty doodle who has made her way into the barn when the humans were distracted? What’s that yellow in your beard? Busted.

iv. Or are you some high-rolling, chickenless, 1900s foodie with enough cash and space to have your own cold storage? A nice cozy fridglet, suitable for eggs? No point playing humble; we see the egg on your face.

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www.justcurious.ca

Header Art: Georg Flegel. Still-life with fried eggs. ~1630-38