Definition

Adjective 1. Cooked on one side only: Describes eggs, typically chicken eggs, that are fried only on the bottom side, leaving the yolk completely liquid and the top of the white still slightly runny or just set. The yolk remains visible and unbroken on the surface, resembling a "sunny side."

Usage

This adjective is used almost exclusively to describe the preparation style of fried eggs. It is a compound adjective that typically follows the verb "to be" or precedes the noun "eggs." * It specifies a cooking preference or result. * It is commonly used in diners and restaurants when ordering breakfast.

Examples

• "How would you like your eggs?" - "Sunny-side up, please."
• I prefer my eggs sunny-side up so I can dip my toast in the yolk.
• The chef prepared two sunny-side up eggs to place on top of the burger.
• For a perfect sunny-side up egg, you must cook it over low heat with a lid.

Advanced Usage

• The term is hyphenated when used as a compound adjective before a noun (e.g., sunny-side up eggs). It is often not hyphenated when used predicatively (e.g., "The eggs are sunny side up").
• It can be used informally to describe something that is optimistic or cheerful, playing on the "sunny" imagery, though this is not the primary culinary definition.
  • After the good news, he was feeling positively sunny-side up.

Variants and Related Words

• Over easy: (Adjective) Eggs fried on both sides, but the yolk remains runny.
• Over medium: (Adjective) Eggs fried on both sides with a yolk that is partially set.
• Over hard: (Adjective) Eggs fried on both sides until the yolk is completely solid.
• Fried egg: (Noun phrase) The general term for an egg cooked in a pan with fat.

Synonyms

• One-sided fried: (Descriptive phrase, less common) Fried on one side only.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Sunny side up: While primarily a culinary term, its structure makes it adaptable for informal, playful descriptions of optimism, as noted in Advanced Usage. There is no widely recognized phrasal verb.

Adjective

1. (eggs) fried on only one side