unscramble the eggs

unscramble the eggs
 v. phr.— «He also noted that U.S. Circuit Court Judges Janice Brown and David Tatel “agreed that this Court has the power to grant relief despite the merger having already taken place.” That could mean either stopping further efforts to eliminate Wild Oats as a separate brand or possibly ordering Whole Foods to reconstitute Wild Oats, re-creating the same level of competition that would exist today if the merger had not taken place. That process, known as “unscrambling the eggs,” is a rarely used remedy in antitrust law.» —“Whole Foods must discuss merger fix” by Cecile Kohrs in Washington, D.C. The Deal (New York City) Jan. 9, 2009. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)