Idiom
Nest egg
A nest egg is a sum of money saved over time and kept for the future, such as for retirement or an emergency.
How people use it
People build, grow, save or dip into a nest egg (they dipped into their nest egg to fix the roof). It usually suggests careful, long-term saving rather than everyday spending money. The phrase is neutral and common in personal finance articles, banking and family talk. A nest egg can be small or large; what matters is that it is set aside and meant to grow.
Examples
- Grace and Ben have been building a nest egg for their retirement since their twenties.
- The money from his grandmother gave Sam a small nest egg for college.
- We had to dip into our nest egg when the car needed a new engine.
Where it comes from
Farmers once left a real or fake egg, sometimes made of china or chalk, in a hen's nest. The egg encouraged the hen to keep laying in the same place. Because that single egg led to more eggs, the term came to mean money put aside to grow or to provide for later. The money sense has been used in English since at least the 1700s.
Check yourself
1. What is a nest egg?
Answer: Money saved for the future. A nest egg is savings set aside for later. The hen's nest is only the picture behind it.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: Priya puts part of every paycheck into her nest egg for retirement.. A nest egg is long-term savings. Lunch money is for spending now, and the breakfast sentence is literal.
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