nest egg

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

[edit] English

[edit] Noun

nest egg (plural nest eggs)

1. A natural or artificial egg placed in a bird's nest, to encourage the bird to lay its own eggs there.

   Patent No. 211,363 was issued on Jan. 14, 1879 to O. F. Woodward for a Nest-Egg: "My improvement relates to artificial eggs composed of a substance which is offensive to insects, the object being to render the same effective, not only as a nest-egg, but also as a destroyer of vermin."

2. (idiomatic) A savings; a reserve of money.

   Over time, they accumulated a tidy nest egg and retired comfortably.

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