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Have we got any eggs?

vs

Have we got any egg?

What is the difference between these two sentences in terms of meaning?

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"Eggs" is countable and means those oval things that are laid by birds.

"Egg" isn't countable. It normally wouldn't make sense to say "egg" as eggs themselves are countable, but you could say "have we got any egg" if you were in a restaurant kitchen that used powdered or liquid egg rather than individual shelled eggs.

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    You might also use "egg" if you're talking about a bit of cooked egg - "Have I got any egg on my face?"
    – nick012000
    Commented May 18, 2020 at 8:53
  • Politicians sometimes have egg on their face, but occasionally they have eggs on their coats.
    – Owain
    Commented May 18, 2020 at 11:45
  • Eggs can also be laid by reptiles, and echindas. Which is gross.
    – Adam Barnes
    Commented May 18, 2020 at 11:59
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    ""egg" isn't countable" - it might not always be uncountable, but it can be countable if you say "an egg", "one egg" or "give me any (i.e. one) egg".
    – NotThatGuy
    Commented May 18, 2020 at 13:49
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    @SteveBennett They're conceptually countable, and a suitably dedicated person has already counted eggs per animal in the lab. It's just not practical in most cases, but they are still individual items.
    – Graham
    Commented May 19, 2020 at 8:20

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