Eierlegende-Wollmilchsau
A German term for an all-in-one solution that tries to do everything — the mythical "egg-laying wool milk sow." In practice, such solutions rarely exist.
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Origin
The compound fuses four German livestock words — Eier (eggs), Wolle (wool), Milch (milk), Sau (sow) — into one satirical beast combining the output of chickens, sheep, cows, and pigs. The image surfaced in German poetry as early as 1959, and by 1968 entered Bundeswehr military jargon (as eierlegendes Wollschwein) to mock overspecified combat aircraft. The modern condensed form solidified in the 1970s and spread into German IT and product management circles by the mid-1980s.
Updated February 22, 2026