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MENTAL MODEL · M8481

Egg of Columbus

Egg of Columbus
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-28

CORE DEFINITION

An egg of Columbus or Columbus's egg (Italian: uovo di Colombo [ˈwɔːvo di koˈlombo]) refers to a seemingly impossible task that becomes easy once understood. The expression refers to an apocryphal story, dating from at least the 16th century, in which it is said that Christopher Columbus, having been told that finding a new trade route was inevitable and no great accomplishment, challenges his cri

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An egg of Columbus or Columbus's egg (Italian: uovo di Colombo [ˈwɔːvo di koˈlombo]) refers to a seemingly impossible task that becomes easy once understood. The expression refers to an apocryphal sto

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The Egg of Columbus is synonymous with standing an egg on end, illustrating that a difficult problem seems ordinary once the method is revealed, satirizing the hindsight attitude of "I could have done that."

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_of_ColumbusZH · Explicit
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