nest egg

nest egg

Meaning

• an amount of money that has been saved, especially for future use
• savings for the future
• money saved and set aside for later use
• an amount of money that has been saved for something important

Example Sentences

1. The stock market has given me good returns and helped me build a nest egg for my retirement.
2. Start investing early and invest regularly in order to build a nest egg for the future.
3. Small but regular investments over a long period of time has helped me in building a decent nest egg.
4. The nest egg that he had built over the years helped him tide over his difficulties when he lost his job during the recession.
5. He lost the nest egg he had built diligently over the years in a moment of madness when he invested it in a risky venture which failed.
6. He had built a sizable nest egg over the years and was ready to retire by the time he reached his forties.

Origin

The idiom alludes to the practice of putting an egg into a hen's nest in order to encourage her to lay. However, the connection between this practice and savings is not clear. The phrase was used in the figurative form since the 17th century, with the earliest record found being from 1686.