egg timer
3
1.7
- noun
- /ˈɛɡ ˌtaɪmɚ/
:
temporizador de huevos
- An egg timer is essential for cooking the perfect soft-boiled eggs.
- set an egg timer
Examples
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She pictured him listening patiently to her, with one eye on the sand in the egg timer they used to time their daily calls when they were apart; and when all of the sand had run through, he'd cut her off, saying he was sorry but he had to go.
Fiction book (1998) -
He had one of those hourglass egg timers and when he turned it over you started, and when the sand was finished so were you.
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This is just an egg timer!
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Where the devil is my egg timer?
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During those times, I'd use an egg timer (free online tool, counting down on your screen) to stay focused.
Blog text (20) -
"Enid set the egg timer on the shelf and then went into the back and brought back two Coca-Colas and opened both with her bottle opener."
Fiction book (1999) -
The egg timer went off, and she rinsed out Mrs. Overstreet for the last time, then sat her up while she patted her hair dry, making sure she wiped out the lady's ears.
Fiction book (1999) -
To ensure the eggs are perfectly boiled, she always uses an egg timer set for three minutes.
-
He relies on his old-fashioned egg timer to know when his eggs are done.
Synonyms
How Precise
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun–noun compound 'egg timer' transparently combines 'egg' and 'timer' to mean a timer used for cooking eggs; a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer it is a device for timing eggs (typically boiling). This is a straightforward compositional pattern common across languages and does not require idiomatic or metaphorical knowledge.
Etymology
The noun egg timer comes from a simple cooking picture: a small timer made to time an egg while it cooks, often a little hourglass set for about three minutes. That's why the name means 'a device to measure the time for boiling eggs'.