Egging

For the hobby of collecting eggs, see Oology.

Egging refers to the act of throwing eggs at houses, cars, or people. Egging is a criminal offence in most areas. The eggs are usually raw, but are sometimes hard-boiled or rotten.

Egging is sometimes associated with certain events and holidays. For example, in parts of England and the United States, October 30 is referred to as "Mischief Night", when mischievous teens rub soap bars on car windows, throw eggs at houses, adorn trees with toilet paper, and run away after ringing doorbells. In some areas of Queens, New York, "Cabbage Night" involved throwing rotten fruit at various neighbors, cars, and buses.

In Northern Virginia, egging has become a rite of passage. Many teens throw eggs from moving vehicles at unsuspecting victims as part of an annual ritual countdown to an event such as Christmas, or New Year's.

Damage and injury

Eggs are capable of causing damages when thrown at property, and egging is considered vandalism in addition to many other severe crimes. Eggs can break windows and, when thrown at cars, can dent a body panel or chip paint where the shell breaks, leaving an oval outline. Egg whites can degrade certain types of vehicle and house paint. Whether or not the egg damages the surface beneath it, dried egg can be difficult to remove, and removal attempts with scrapers or abrasives can damage the surface. In addition to physical damages to property, egging of property may spread diseases. This may infect the victim and possibly many victims with E. coli, salmonella, other viruses, and more.

Victims of egging may be entitled to compensation for the cost of repairs, cleaning (including cleaning supplies such as gloves, soap, water, and disinfectant) to mend damaged property and spread of disease. Common charges involved with eggings are damage to property, vandalism, and nuisance. In more serious cases where injuries from egging are presented, perpetrators may be charged with assault and fined.

Egging of a person's face can cause serious injuries and eye injury, and may constitute assault and battery. A nurse was blinded in one eye when an egg was thrown at her from a passing car in March 2008 in Dublin. A boy in Long Island lost sight in one eye after teens from a local high school threw eggs out of a passing car on Halloween 2005. Medical compensation may be required for victims of egging due to infections and spread of diseases such as salmonella, E. coli, conjunctivitis and meningitis. Diseases from egging entering the eyes may cause serious infections of the eyes and the membrane of eye tissues, which can spread and further infect the brain.

As protest

Czech politician Jiri Paroubek (left) was attacked with eggs at a rally for the European parliament elections in 2009.

Eggs are sometimes thrown at people as a form of protest. High-profile people who have been egged in this manner include David Cameron, Steve Ballmer, Miloš Zeman, Bronisław Komorowski, Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Prescott, Helmut Kohl, Nick Griffin David Blaine, Richard Prebble, Ed Miliband, Nigel Farage, and John Tsang. Irish bank AIB was egged in response to the Irish banking crisis of 2009. The Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament was egged by deputies inside the Ukrainian parliament on April 27, 2010 as a protest against a natural gas agreement. During the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, candidate Viktor Yanukovych was rushed to hospital after he had been hit with an egg (while government officials claimed he was hit by a brick), which became a source of ridicule.

See also

• Devil's Night
• Mischief night
• Pieing
• List of practical joke topics
• List of shoe throwing incidents
• Toilet papering
• Trick-or-treating

External links

• "The Yolks On You" - Maynard ABC Australia