Egg Feast
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: Egg Saturday
In Oxford the Saturday preceding Shrove Tuesday used to be so called because, as the eating of eggs was forbidden during Lent, the scholars took leave of them on that day. They were allowed again at Easter, hence the coloured "Easter egg.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Egg Feast” mean?
In Oxford the Saturday preceding Shrove Tuesday used to be so called because, as the eating of eggs was forbidden during Lent, the scholars took leave of them on that day. They were allowed again at Easter, hence the coloured "Easter egg.
Is “Egg Feast” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.