Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. zero, nothing [shape of the egg/zero; note cricket jargon a duck’s egg, a score of nothing].

1866		Wilkes’ Spirit of the Times (N.Y.) 14 July 304/2: At this stage of the game our opponents had fourteen runs — we had five large ‘goose eggs’ as our share [DA].
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 7 Feb. 12/4: The first ball hits his bat, and then / Goes bounding off to leg; / He and his partner run, and thus / Is broke his second egg.
1887		World (N.Y.) 9 Apr. 6/1: [...] to see the Giants roll up three runs, while Yale had to be contented with a goose egg.
1889		Modern Society 12 Oct. 1264: [...] No, Mr. Brown, I cannot marry you. You score a gooser this time [F&H].
1890		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 3 May 6/2: A streak of oval-shaped goose fruit stretched from the first to the ninth innings, and gave a hollow appearance to the scores .
1906		‘O. Henry’ ‘The Cop and the Anthem’ in Four Million (1915) 97: ’Tis one of them Yale lads celebratin’ the goose egg they gave to Hartford College.
1919		Van Loan ‘Mister Conley’ in Score by Innings (2004) 433: Solly had let the Grizzlies down with nine goose-eggs in his first game.
1926		Wood & Goddard Dict. Amer. Sl.
1949		Chicago Daily News 29 Mar. 10/7: It is called the ‘Goose-Egg Record of the “No-Can-Do” Congress’ [DA].
1978		T. O’Brien Going After Cacciato (1980) 136: ‘Goose eggs,’ Oscar said. ‘Nothing?’.
1987		J. Ciardi Good Words 134: Goose egg. Nothing.
1996		(con. 1949) G. Pelecanos Big Blowdown (1999) 147: Why would he think he could uncover something when the homicide boys had come up with major-league goose eggs?
2006		G. Pelecanos Night Gardener 146: Canvasses turned up goose eggs.

2. (Aus.) a bald head.

1895

Truth (Sydney) 10 Mar. 4/7: I watched that old goose-head poll of yours bobbing up and down [...] I couldn’t help thinking what an awful thing it must be to be as bald as that poor old beggar.

3. (US) a large bruise or swelling that comes up on the head after striking it or being struck a blow.

1912		N.Z. Truth 6 Jan. 5/4: [Sam] Langford retired to his corner with a goose-egg over his right eye.
1933		J. Conroy Disinherited 152: Lipkin felt ruefully of the goose egg on his head.
1942		R.L. Bellem ‘Million Buck Snatch!’ Dan Turner - Hollywood Detective Jan. 🌐 Then he looked at the egg on my temple and said: [...] ‘If your skull wasn’t so thick you’d probably have had a fracture’.
1947		S.J. Perelman Westward Ha! 128: She [...] fetched me a lethal blow on the sconce, causing a goose-egg.
1953		R. Santee Lost Pony Tracks 61: When you didn’t mention how come that goose egg on yore head I figgered as much, myself. Shucks, ye’re not the first boy that ol’ pony has throwed [DARE].
1985		W. Safire Look It Up 163: A lump that comes up on your head when you get a sharp blow or knock...goose egg.
2008		‘Grandmaster Flash’ Adventures 41: I stalled out midair and landed on my spine [...] and I had a big goose egg in the middle of my back to prove it.
2011		T. Pluck ‘Glutton for Punishment’ in Life During Wartime (2018) 48: I wake up in bed with a goose egg on my eyebrow.