to addle
9.9
To become rotten and smell bad, like eggs left too long
- verb
- /ˈædəl/
- The abandoned eggs in the nest had become addled after weeks without care.
Examples
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Neglected in the nest, the bird's eggs began to addle.
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Don't leave the milk out too long, or it will addle.
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If eggs are kept too long, they may addle and smell unpleasant.
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In the heat, food quickly starts to addle and attracts flies.
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The eggs had addled in the heat.
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If eggs are not stored properly, they can quickly addle and produce a foul smell.
-
The farmer discovered that some of his eggs had addled due to the high summer heat.
Antonyms
Compounds
How Rotten
Surface Forms
Etymology
Addle was long used for eggs or food that 'go bad' or become 'rotten', so an addled egg is one that has spoiled and smells unpleasant.