Ab ovo

What does Ab ovo mean in American Law?

The definition of Ab ovo in the law of the United States, as defined by the lexicographer Arthur Leff in his legal dictionary is:

Literally “from the egg,” i.e., from the beginning, i.e., a more richly metamorphic equivalent of ab initio. Whether the metaphoric reference is to the Roman custom of starting dinner with an egg, or amounts to an implied answer to the classic “which came first” question from the chicken’s point of view, is by now indeterminate.