Mrrzy
You're right. Being an American I have heard this expresion, not much though but I didn't know it's meaning. This past summer I stopped off at the home of a friend of Charlie Noble's, the Paulson's with Charlie in tow of course. His childhood friend, whom along with her husband are both adventures & naturalists, that live on a farm along the Long Island Sound, so they live off the land & sea. Each morning for breakfast we had goose eggs, gathered from her flock, along with whatever else. She saved the eggs for painting as she had alot of very large beautiful painted eggs all around the home. I didn't think much about it at the time, thinking that this was a creative pasttime for her & a useful use of the shells. I never thought that it was a common thing that was done in the past nor an expression as told.
Thanks all
Barry