What is meaning of 'made eggs for breakfast'?

In a book I'm reading by a USA writer the sentence 'Saul had gotten up, dressed, made eggs for breakfast.' really irritated me because chickens make eggs.

Saul fried/scrambled/boiled/poached eggs for breakfast which would be just as easy to write and more informative.

But Jo said it was probably an Americanism that would be readily understood by US readers.

So, dear USA forumites - is it? And if so, what does it mean?

Yes, it is perfectly clear here. It means he prepared eggs somehow and ate them. He may or may not have also had toast, coffee, scrapple, etc. - there is no need to say that because "made eggs for breakfast" is a shorthand to refer to classic American breakfast foods.

[Jenise]

What Jeff said. And yes that's what it means--some variation of a hot classic American breakfast requiring sit-down usually with toast or even a breakfast meat vs. just grabbing a yoghurt or piece of fruit and dashing out the door.

Ditto for me regarding made eggs for breakfast. When I hear that phrase, I assume it means fried eggs because I think most people would say, "I made some scrambled eggs."

I believe that "made" is an Americanism for "cooked." I made pizza tonight. I made spaghetti tonight, etc, etc.

I believe that "made" is an Americanism for "cooked."

Not just in America. Similar verbs are used in similar ways in other languages as well.

I made you say that.

The verb "faire" is used in French for many activities.

When I hear "made eggs" I'm never quite sure what the prep is, but I imagine there is a skillet involved (so, friend or scrambled). The rough-and-tumble American id doesn't take to poached eggs very well.

But here's a question: is "made eggs" intended to clarify that the American's breakfast was not pancakes/flapjacks?

Thanks for explanations...

I still think its lazy writing. If one is speaking the recipient can ask if they want to know.

But here's a question: is "made eggs" intended to clarify that the American's breakfast was not pancakes/flapjacks?

Interesting question. I rolled it around in my gray matter, and my take is if an American had pancakes and eggs, he'd probably just mention the pancakes--as in "I had pancakes this morning." And the same if there were no eggs involved.

But here's a question: is "made eggs" intended to clarify that the American's breakfast was not pancakes/flapjacks?

Interesting question. I rolled it around in my gray matter, and my take is if an American had pancakes and eggs, he'd probably just mention the pancakes--as in "I had pancakes this morning." And the same if there were no eggs involved.

Agreed. An "eggs" breakfast is all fairly quick cooking, or at least easy: toss it in a pan and it more or less cooks itself. Pancake, flapjacks, johnny cakes all take measuring, beating, ladling, waiting, turning... a lot more fuss.

[David M. Bueker]

Thanks for explanations...

I still think its lazy writing. If one is speaking the recipient can ask if they want to know.

Yeah, well McCartney wrote "found my way downstairs and drank a cup." Of what? What the hell was he drinking???

What the hell was he drinking???

Ah, the mystery, David. It's whatever you want it to be. But probably not unmade eggs.

I still think its lazy writing. If one is speaking the recipient can ask if they want to know.

Yeah, well McCartney wrote "found my way downstairs and drank a cup." Of what? What the hell was he drinking???

That's a song lyric, so syllables are limited, and cup rhymes with 'up' in the next line

In this novel the author didn't have those limitations.

Anyway - it's a cup of tea, what else could it be?

Semolina pilchards
Climbing up the Eiffel Tower
Element'ry penguin singing Hare Krishna
Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allan Poe

[David M. Bueker]

I am the egg man
They are the egg men

Doesn’t say what kind of eggs.

Doesn’t say what kind of eggs.

Doesn’t say what kind of eggs.

Wild bird eggs. An "egg man" is a poacher who specialises in stealing wild bird eggs. Or so says the OED Second Edition.

-Paul (the walrus) W.

Almost every day, I have a slice of bacon and a sunnyside-up egg seasoned with salt and pepper and some chile salsa. On the rare days I break the yolk, I have scrambled eggs.

Speaking of scrambled eggs I occasionally make Creamy French Scrambled Eggs on the weekend using the ATK method, using just a little water and time. They are amazingly good.

How 'bout you?

Love eggs for breakfast - softly scrambled or, preferabley, anything with a runny yolk (e.g., sunny-side up, basted, over easy, poached) - but rarely make them. Don't have the energy in the morning to deal with it. Hence, I'll occasionally go to the diner and have breakfast for lunch or dinner.

[Jenise]

Don't make many eggs here. Last week Bob got one fried egg with fried mush (slices of polenta, in this case with truffles in them), and I skipped the egg. Week before we had black truffle omelets for dinner, a classic French bistro dish with a side of fresh green salad and a bottle of old burgundy to go with it.

I have an aversion to "visible eggs". I don't like the appearance, aroma, or texture. I have no problem with mayonnaise or eggs as an ingredient where you don't see the egg in the result. Stir-fried rice and pad thai are where I draw the line on visible eggs. On the other hand, I did have a very delicious eggs Benedict once, and there was an excellent quail egg course the time I ate at the French Laundry. I could probably acquire a taste for eggs if I worked at it, but I don't want to.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

I have an aversion to "visible eggs". I don't like the appearance, aroma, or texture. I have no problem with mayonnaise or eggs as an ingredient where you don't see the egg in the result. Stir-fried rice and pad thai are where I draw the line on visible eggs. On the other hand, I did have a very delicious eggs Benedict once, and there was an excellent quail egg course the time I ate at the French Laundry. I could probably acquire a taste for eggs if I worked at it, but I don't want to.

-Paul W.

You and I have this in common! Yesterday morning I was interested in starting the day with protein, but not fatty meat, so made hard-cooked eggs that we ate halved, warm and literally dripping with Tabasco sauce. My share was four halves but I couldn't get any further than three. Bob was delighted to eat the rest. Though that doesn't sound promising, by virtue of the fact that I went 40-odd years eating NO "visible eggs" of any kind, it's quite the change.

However during all that time of no-eggs-please, the single exception was scrambled eggs as a component in fried rice. So when you draw the line there, which side of the egg is it on in your fried rice? In or out?

Scrambled eggs in fried rice and pad Thai are in. I used to ask that the eggs be omitted when I ordered fried rice in Chinese restaurants, but once I started cooking it on my own I came to realize that they provide a key part of the flavor.

-Paul W.

'Made eggs' means (or perhaps implies) different things to different areas. I would agree that fried is probably the most common interpretation, the French (and myself) would make an omelet. Presumably the Germans would make an umlaut?

Presumably the Germans would make an umlaut?

Groan.