"egg and spoon race" means: A race in which competitors must carry an egg on a small spoon and race to the finish line without dropping the egg.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
egg and spoon race
(chiefly, British, games) A race in which competitors must carry an egg on a small spoon and race to the finish line without dropping the egg.
Definitions
(chiefly, British, games) A race in which competitors must carry an egg on a small spoon and race to the finish line without dropping the egg.
"egg and spoon race" means: A race in which competitors must carry an egg on a small spoon and race to the finish line without dropping the egg.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
"egg and spoon race" means: A race in which competitors must carry an egg on a small spoon and race to the finish line without dropping the egg.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (British) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally
“Hearing rumours he glued his egg down in the egg and spoon race, more to come in this breaking story”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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(Australia, NZ, idiomatic, sports, chiefly, Australian rules football, rugby league) A match between the last placed and second last placed team in an Australian sports league, derived from the fact that the team that finishes last is informally awarded the "wooden spoon".
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(idiomatic, chiefly, Australia, New Zealand) An ironic prize for finishing last in a competition.
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A short race at top speed.
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(transitive, idiomatic, originally, UK, regional) Chiefly in over-egg the pudding: to spoil (something) by exaggerating it, or an aspect of it; to overdo.
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(transitive, Cumbria, Ireland, Northumberland, Yorkshire, games) To knock (a pace egg) against that of an opponent, with the aim of cracking the other's egg and leaving one's own intact.