# eggs in moonshine

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/eggs-in-moonshine
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A fanciful notion; an unrealistic or ludicrous concept.

## Examples

- His plan to win the lottery is just eggs in moonshine.
- She believes she can learn ten languages in a week, which is eggs in moonshine.
- The investors rejected the proposal because they considered the entire project to be nothing more than eggs in moonshine.
- My neighbor thinks he can build a working time machine in his garage, but everyone knows his invention is just eggs in moonshine.
- The manager told the staff that expecting a double bonus during a financial crisis was pure eggs in moonshine.
- The politician dismissed the opposition's ambitious economic reform as mere eggs in moonshine, arguing that it lacked any foundation in reality.

## Origin

The term is probably derived from a dish recorded in 16th- and 17th-century English cookbooks. The recipe required egg yolks to be lightly poached in sweetened rosewater, an arrangement which presumably suggested the visual quality of the night sky. The phrase shares an association with the culinary sense of moonshine, though the connection remains a matter of culinary history rather than linguistic certainty. (disputed)

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.