lay an egg

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

lay an egg (third-person singular simple present lays an egg, present participle laying an egg, simple past and past participle laid an egg)

1. (of a bird or other egg-creating animal) To produce an egg.
2. (idiomatic, of a person, organization, etc.) To produce a failure or flop; to do something which is unsuccessful.

   That author usually writes good stuff, but he really laid an egg with that last piece.