This idiom means to be embarrassed, humiliated, or caught looking foolish due to a mistake or failure, often publicly. It suggests a visible, undeniable blunder, as if one’s face is smeared with egg, and is used in contexts of professional, social, or personal missteps to highlight shame or ridicule.

The phrase likely originated in early 20th-century American theater slang, where performers hit with eggs by a disapproving audience were said to have ‘egg on their face.’ It appeared in print by the 1930s, with a 1934 *Variety* article using it to describe a failed act. By the mid-20th century, it was common in American English, especially in journalism, to describe public embarrassments, as seen during political scandals. Its vivid, humorous imagery ensured its spread to British and global English.