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What is the origin of the term egg on?
The verb egg 'urge' as in egg on is from Old Norse eggja 'incite, encourage, urge on' - and is not related to the eggs laid by birds. Egg as a verb is recorded in print in 1200, but not until 1566 in the phrase egg on. The verb involving the spheroidal body used in pelting is not recorded until 1857. The noun form egg is shown to come from Old Norse and is used in English by 1000. Eggnog, an American creation, is formed from egg (from birds) and nog 'strong ale' and is recorded by 1825.