A few weeks ago, one of my regular readers, Judy Rhudy, emailed me about this old saying. She was having a difference of opinion about it with her 11-year-old granddaughter. Judy was right and wanted to get the answer from the “horse’s mouth,” so to speak. I answered her, but also decided to use it here in my column.

I grew up using this expression, and knew it was old before I did the research on it, but  would have never dreamed just how ancient it was or where it came from. It is found in Volume II, Expanded and Revised, of my series "Most Comprehensive Origins of Clichés, Proverbs and Figurative Expressions."

There is no connection between either "Egg on someone’s face" or "Over egging the pudding" and "egging someone on," meaning urging or encouraging an action. The etymology of egg, used in this connotation, was taken into the Middle English from the Old Norse word, eggja, meaning "to incite." The earliest English usage of a form of this, eggede, appeared in Trinity College, in Homer circa 1200 according to reliable sources. But in its current usage "egg on" was first cited in Thomas Drqant’s translation of Horace his arte of poetrie, pistles and satyrs englished, in 1566:

“Ile egge them on to speake some thyng, whiche spoken may repent them.”

If you have a phrase you would like to see featured here, please text Stan at 931-212-3303 or email him at stan@stclair.net