lays an egg
Dies on stage
To lay an egg is to produce an egg, as birds and reptiles do.
The idiom lays an egg means to fail embarrassingly, especially in performance: The comedian laid an egg—nobody laughed.
The image is of producing something unwanted or worthless instead of the expected result.
- oviparousReproducing through external eggs
- clutchMechanism linking engine to gearbox
- failureLack of success
- falls flatFails to resonate
- setbackReverse in progress
flop · dud · blunder · underperformance · bomb · box office bomb · brooding · turkey · misstep · embarrassment · flunk · hatchling · yolk · incubation · stinker · nesting · shell · fiasco