goose egg

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English

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Etymology

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From the oval shape of both a goose's egg and the Arabic numeral zero (0).

Noun

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goose egg (plural goose eggs)

  1. (Canada, US, informal) Zero; nothing.
    Synonym: duck egg
    I missed every question on the quiz and got a goose egg.
    • 1949 March, I. A. Horowitz, “Readers' Games”, in Chess Review:
      Grandmaster and grand duffer alike prefer the all-important point to the ignominious goose egg.
  2. (informal) A swelling caused by a bump on the head.

Translations

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