protect eggs
v. phr.— «The coaches met Tuesday about implementing an early signing period, similar to what the NCAA employs for men’s and women’s basketball.…“It helps everyone. You don’t have to babysit (a committed prospect) or protect eggs, as they call it, every week,” said Johnson, adding the measure would save schools money on recruiting costs. “Let them enjoy their lives and senior seasons. We can concentrate on guys who haven’t signed.”» —“Football coaches debate early signing period” by Joseph Person The State (Columbia, South Carolina) May 30, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
How do you pronounce pecan? Is it pee-KAHN or PEE-kan? And why are there different pronunciations of the name of this nut? The word pecan was borrowed into English more than once, and from numerous Native American languages that had variations on...
Ron in Gloverville, South Carolina, wonders about the phrase since hatchet was hammer, which some use to mean “for a long period of time,” as in My family has lived here since hatchet was hammer. Another phrase he’s heard indicating the same thing...