Easter egg
noun/ˈiː.stəɹ ˌɛɡ/
Etymology From Easter + egg. Cognate with German Low German Ooosterei (“Easter egg”), Middle High German ōsterei ("Easter egg"; > modern German Osterei). So called because eggs would be eaten during Easter to break the fasting during Lent. (No eggs, dairy, meat except fish, lard, or foods containing these ingredients could be eaten during Lent.) The computing sense is from the early 1980s, popularized by the video game Adventure.
A dyed or decorated egg, traditionally associated with Easter and, in the Western European tradition, sometimes hidden for children to find.
- Because eggs were inexpensive in most regions, the practice of decorating Easter eggs crossed all social classes and remained somewhat simple.2009, Ace Collins, chapter 23, in Stories Behind the Traditions and Songs of Easter:
A chocolate confection in the shape of an egg, sometimes with chocolates or sweets inside.
- I reached the first fork in the tree and there they lay—several melted Easter eggs[…] Quickly I tore open the foil and licked the melted chocolate until there wasn't a trace left on the paper.2008, Christel Behnke Gehlert, Recollections of a Hamburger: Growing Up German, 1941-1962, page 143:
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences, Video games An undocumented function hidden in a program or video game, typically triggered by a particular input sequence or combination of keystrokes.
- an Easter egg that displays the names of the application's development team
- Once found, the Easter egg will often enable the player to traverse through the game much more rapidly the second time around.2011, Myint Swe Khine, Learning to Play: Exploring the Future of Education with Video Games, page 59:
Broadly Any image, feature, or other content that is hidden on a video disc or in a movie, trailer, or poster.
- For the Best of Bowie DVD release, APl even concealed an Easter egg within a hidden extra.2004, Michael Burns, George Cairns, Designing DVD Menus: How to Create Professional-Looking DVDs:
- The repeated appearance of a number as an Easter egg is not a new concept for J.J., Burky or those other members of Lost Labs who previously worked on Alias.2008, Jon Lachonis, Amy Johnston, chapter 16, in "Lost" Ate My Life: The Inside Story of a Fandom Like No Other:
1 more example
- Unlike an allusion — a tip of the hat to a previous work — an Easter egg, when found, is an anachronistic disruption, an anti-mimetic breaking of the fourth wall to make room for a joke, clue or grievance.2023 January 13, Nick Haramis, “When Did We All Become Pop Culture Detectives?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
- Derived terms
- Easter egg hunt, Russian Easter egg, Ukrainian Easter egg