Meaning
To act with extreme caution or sensitivity around someone, fearing their reaction, as if treading on fragile shells that might crack.
Origin
From 19th-century America, possibly tied to walking near bird nests-eggshells underfoot meant ruin. An 1860s diary uses 'walk on eggs' for a nervous suitor, and by the 1890s, it was 'eggshells,' as in a 1902 novel about a temperamental boss.
Variants
- Walk on eggs
Usage Examples
- I have to walk on eggshells around him when he's mad.
- She's walking on eggshells to avoid another fight.
- We all walk on eggshells near the grumpy manager.