phrasal verbs with egg meaning

The phrase egg on likely comes from the practice of throwing eggs. In medieval times, and even later, audiences would sometimes throw rotten eggs at performers they disliked. This was a form of disapproval. However, the verb egg meaning to incite or provoke seems to have developed separately, possibly from the Old Norse word eggja, meaning to urge on or sharpen. The modern sense of egg on likely merged these ideas: the 'push' to do something, combined with the slightly messy, chaotic energy associated with eggs. Imagine a crowd throwing eggs to make a performer leave – that's a strong 'push'! It’s a bit like shouting encouragement, but with a potentially messy outcome.

You use egg on when you want to describe someone encouraging another person to do something. It's often used in the past tense, like "He egged me on." You can also use it in the present continuous: "Stop egging him on!" The structure is usually egg [someone] on. You can also add what they are being egged on to do after on, like egg someone on to do something. For example, "They egged him on to climb the tree." It's a versatile phrase for describing encouragement, especially when it involves a bit of daring.

• My friends were all laughing. One of them, Mark, kept egging me on to ask Sarah out. I was nervous, but he wouldn't stop.
• The kids were daring each other to touch the spooky old house. "Go on!" they yelled, egging each other on.
• The coach tried to fire up his team. He was egging them on during halftime, reminding them of their goal.
• On social media, you might see comments like: "OMG, do the challenge! #eggon!" This encourages creators to post risky content.

Use egg on when someone is being encouraged to do something, especially if it's a bit daring, exciting, or even slightly foolish. It works well in informal chats with friends when describing a situation where peer pressure or excitement played a role. Think about a time your friends dared you to do something silly. You could say they egged you on. It's also great for storytelling, like recounting a funny or adventurous memory. It adds a bit of spice to the narrative, hinting at playful provocation.

Avoid egg on in very formal situations, like a business meeting or a serious academic discussion. You wouldn't want to tell your boss they are egging you on to finish a report faster unless you have a very casual relationship. Also, steer clear if the action being encouraged is genuinely harmful or dangerous and you want to convey serious disapproval. In such cases, words like 'instigate' or 'abet' might be more appropriate, though much more formal. It's not for situations where encouragement is purely positive and supportive, like cheering for a marathon runner.

A common slip-up is forgetting the on. People might say, "He egged me." This sounds like they're talking about the food! Remember, the on is crucial for the meaning of encouragement. Another mistake is using it for positive, supportive encouragement. If someone is just cheering you on in a marathon, they are *cheering* you on, not *egging* you on.

✗ He egged me to jump.

✓ He egged me on to jump.

✗ My mom egged me to study harder.

✓ My mom encouraged me to study harder.

There are other ways to say something similar! Cheer on is more about positive support. Urge on is similar but can sound a bit more serious. Push or prompt can also work, depending on the context. Incite is a stronger, more formal word. Goad is similar but often has a negative, annoying connotation. Think of egg on as the slightly mischievous, informal cousin of these phrases.