{
    "term": "egg",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "a1",
    "image": "data/images/bi/birds.png",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "a small oval object with a thin hard shell produced by a female bird and containing a young bird; a similar object (without a hard shell) produced by a female fish, insect, etc.",
            "cefr": "a1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The female sits on the eggs until they hatch."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The fish **lay** thousands of **eggs** at one time."
                },
                {
                    "text": "crocodile eggs"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Many reptiles bury their eggs."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She lays a clutch of four eggs on average."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The males stay and guard the eggs."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Insects, worms, etc.", "Fish and shellfish", "Birds"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["fresh", "bad", "rotten"],
                "… of eggs": ["clutch", "box", "carton"],
                "verb + egg": ["lay", "produce", "deposit"],
                "egg + verb": ["hatch", "break", "crack"],
                "egg + noun": ["shell", "white", "yolk"],
                "phrases": [
                    "the white of an egg",
                    "the yolk of an egg",
                    "bacon and eggs"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a bird’s egg, especially one from a chicken, that is eaten as food",
            "cefr": "a1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "a **boiled egg**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "**bacon and eggs**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "**fried/poached/scrambled eggs**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Bind the mixture together with a little beaten egg."
                },
                {
                    "text": "You've got some egg on your shirt."
                },
                {
                    "text": "**egg yolks/whites**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "egg noodles"
                },
                {
                    "text": "hen's/duck/quail eggs"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a chocolate egg *(= made from chocolate in the shape of an egg)*"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Crack two eggs into the mixture."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Separate the eggs, putting the whites to one side."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We're just decorating eggs for the egg hunt."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Food"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["fresh", "bad", "rotten"],
                "… of eggs": ["clutch", "box", "carton"],
                "verb + egg": ["lay", "produce", "deposit"],
                "egg + verb": ["hatch", "break", "crack"],
                "egg + noun": ["shell", "white", "yolk"],
                "phrases": [
                    "the white of an egg",
                    "the yolk of an egg",
                    "bacon and eggs"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "a cell that combines with a sperm to create a baby or young animal",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The male sperm **fertilizes the** female **egg**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "an egg donor"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Many women conceive through the use of a donor egg."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "ovum",
            "topics": ["Biology"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["fertilized", "unfertilized", "donor"],
                "verb + egg": ["fertilize", "produce", "release"],
                "egg + noun": ["donor", "donation", "removal"],
                "phrases": ["the nucleus of an egg"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "a situation in which it is difficult to tell which one of two things was the cause of the other",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "something that has some good parts and some bad ones",
            "labels": "(British English)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Their investment plan shows the familiar curate's egg pattern of some bits doing well and others doing badly."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "a person who you know will behave well/badly",
            "labels": "(old-fashioned, informal)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to be made to look stupid",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "They were left with egg on their faces when only ten people showed up."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to destroy something that would make you rich, successful, etc.",
            "labels": "(saying)",
            "examples": [],
            "topics": ["Difficulty and failure"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to rely on one particular course of action for success rather than giving yourself several different possibilities",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "I’ve applied for several jobs. I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Success"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to say that something is definitely true",
            "labels": "(old-fashioned, British English, informal)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to tell or show somebody how to do something that they can already do well, and probably better than you can",
            "labels": "(British English, informal)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "you cannot achieve something important without causing a few small problems",
            "labels": "(saying)",
            "examples": [],
            "topics": ["Success"]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/eɡ/",
                "audio": "eg/egg/egg__gb_3.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/eɡ/",
                "audio": "eg/egg/egg__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "noun Middle English (superseding earlier ey, from Old English ǣg): from Old Norse."
}