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Glite Dictionary
goose egg

goose egg

3 8.1
A score or total of zero
  • noun
  • /ˈɡus ˌɛɡ/
  • Informal
translation icon : cero
  • It was challenging and fun in the beginning, helping owners of small businesses and corporations liquidate their assets, seeing so many zeroes on a page reduced to one lone goose egg.
  • a big goose egg
  • a fat goose egg
  • goose egg, zero

Examples

  • Six touchdowns later for ASU and a goose egg for Washington State solidified my general distaste for the Sun Devils.

    Blog text (25)

  • We literally have a goose egg and a dollar sign zero on our financial reports.

    Blog text (14)

  • The chants of "taxes, taxes, taxes" obscured the fact that over half the town gets a goose egg.

    Blog text (8)

  • In one of the worst offensive showings in Jets' team history, New York laid a goose egg against San Francisco's defense, turning the ball over four times while not even once venturing into the red zone in Sunday's 34-0 loss at MetLife Stadium.

    Blog text (18)

  • After the first round of the competition, I ended up with a goose egg in my score sheet.

  • The team's performance was disappointing, finishing the game with a goose egg on the scoreboard.

  • In her latest test, she received a goose egg because she didn't submit any answers.

Synonyms

zip
vsgoose egg
  • Slang
43 8.1

Nothing at all often used informally to mean zero

is more neutral and applies to result or achievement beyond casual speech
naught
vsgoose egg
  • Archaic
30 8.3

The state of having no value, result, or importance

focuses on absence or worthlessness rather than only a numerical score
nil
vsgoose egg
  • UK
20 5.1

No amount or value, meaning nothing at all

is similar but applies to scores in formal or sporting contexts
nothing
vsgoose egg
17 1.0

No thing present in a place or situation

is used especially for a result of zero rather than general absence
aught
vsgoose egg
  • Archaic
15 9.9

Nothing of value or importance

is used specifically for a zero result or achievement not general absence
zippo
vsgoose egg
  • Archaic
8 9.9

Nothing at all

is the standard or idiomatic term for a zero result rather than slang
zilch
vsgoose egg
  • Informal
7 8.5

Nothing at all

is broader and can be used for an official zero result not only slang
nada
vsgoose egg
  • Informal
6 9.4

Nothing at all

is more neutral and used for result or achievement rather than slang
nul point
vsgoose egg
  • UK
9.9

A score of zero points in a contest

is used for a zero result more broadly beyond competitions

Antonyms

success
∞ 1.0

Getting what you want after working hard

How Much

everything
1 1.0
a lot
∞ 1.0
some
∞ 1.0
trace
492 3.3
goose egg
  • Informal
3 8.1

Surface Forms

goose egg singular
goose eggs plural

Morphology

goose + egg

Although the constituents 'goose' and 'egg' yield the literal meaning 'an egg laid by a goose', the MWE's sense 'a score or amount of zero' is an idiomatic metaphorical extension that is not derivable from those words. A B1 learner who knows the parts would most likely interpret the phrase literally and would not predict the zero/score meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

The phrase goose egg may come from the simple picture of a goose's egg, which is round like the number 0. That's why people call a score of zero or 'nothing' a goose egg.