cake

cake someone or something with something

to cover someone or something with a thicker layer of clumps of a substance such as mud, dirt, blood, etc. The attendant caked her with hot mud at the beginning of the arthritis treatment. All the motocross racers were heavily caked with mud. She caked herself with green mud to remove her wrinkles.

have one's cake and eat it too and eat one's cake and have it too

Cliché to have in one's possession something and be able to use or exploit it; to have it both ways. (Usually stated in the negative.) Tom wants to have his cake and eat it too. It can't be done. Don't buy a car if you want to walk and stay healthy. You can't eat your cake and have it too.

See also: and, eat, have

icing on the cake

Fig. an extra enhancement. Oh, wow! A tank full of gas in my new car. That's icing on the cake! Your coming home for a few days was the icing on the cake.

See also: icing

Let them eat cake.

Prov. A joking disclaimer of responsibility for some group of people. (Supposed to have been said by Marie Antoinette when she heard that the common people had no bread.) Fred: The budget will allow each one of our managers to get a substantial holiday bonus. Jane: And what about the rest of the employees? Fred: Let them eat cake!

See also: eat, let, them

piece of cake

Fig. something easy to do. No problem. When you know what you're doing, it's a piece of cake. Glad to help. It was a piece of cake. Rescuing frightened cats is my specialty. Piece of cake!

See also: piece

sell like hotcakes

Fig. [for something] to be sold very fast. The delicious candy sold like hotcakes. The fancy new cars were selling like hotcakes.

See also: like, sell

Shut your cake hole! and Shut your pie hole! shut your face!

Inf. shut up!; Shut your mouth! I've heard enough! shut your cake hole!

See also: shut

slice of the cake

a share of something. There's not much work around and so everyone must be content with a slice of the cake. The company makes huge profits and the workers want a slice of the cake.

See also: slice

That takes the cake! 

1. Inf. That is good, and it wins the prize! (Assuming that the prize is a cake.) "What a performance!" cheered John. "That takes the cake!" Sue: Wow! That takes the cake! What a dive! Rachel: She sure can dive!

2. Inf. That is too much; That does it! Bob: What a dumb thing to do, Fred! Erik: Yeah, Fred. That takes the cake! Bob: Wow! That takes the cake! Bill: What is it? Bob: That stupid driver in front of me just hit the car on the left and then swung over and hit the car on the right.

See also: take

You cannot have your cake and eat it (too).

Prov. You cannot enjoy two desirable things at the same time. Jill: There's an apartment across the street from me, much bigger and prettier than mine, and it even costs less. I'd really like to rent it—but I don't want to go to the trouble of moving. Jane: You can't have your cake and eat it too. Fred: I want to lose weight, but I'm not willing to change the way I eat. Alan: You can't have your cake and eat it.

See also: and, cannot, eat, have

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a slice of the cake  (British, American & Australian) also a slice of the pie (American)

a part of the money that is to be shared by everyone The government has less money to spend on education this year, so primary schools will get a smaller slice of the cake than last year.

See a piece of the action

See also: slice

be a piece of cake  (British, American & Australian) also be a piece of piss (British very informal)

to be very easy 'How was the test?' 'A piece of cake!' The interview was a piece of piss.

See also: piece

go/sell like hot cakes

if things are going like hot cakes, people are buying a lot of them very fast (often in continuous tenses) The book has only just been published and copies are already selling like hot cakes in both Britain and America.

See also: hot, like

have your cake and eat it (too)

to have or do two good things that it is usually impossible to have or do at the same time He wants to have his cake and eat it. He wants the security of marriage and the excitement of affairs. You can't have your cake and eat it. If you want better local services, you have to pay more tax.

See the icing on the cake, take the cake

See also: and, eat, have

take the cake  (British, American & Australian) also take the biscuit (British & Australian)

if you say that something someone has said or done takes the cake, you mean that it was very bad, and even worse than things they have said or done before She's been opening my letters - that really takes the cake!

See take into account, take a back seat, take the bad with the good, swallow the bait, pick up the ball and run, draw a bead on, get the bit between teeth, take a blind bit of notice, take on board, bear the brunt of, be centre stage, take it on the chin, take to the cleaner's, take the cloth, carry coals to Newcastle, take it easy, Take it easy!, can't take eyes off, take at face value, take the fall for, take fancy, I take the Fifth, Take five!, take in good part, accept as gospel, take for granted, take it for granted, catch off guard, I take my hat off to, take it into head, take heart, take to heart, take the heat off, take to heels, take kindly to, take a knock, take the law into own hands, take a leaf out of book, take a leak, take liberties, take the liberty of, blow the lid off, take life in hands, take lumps, take lying down, take matters into own hands, take the mick, take mind off, take name in vain, take no for an answer, can't stand the pace, take part, Take a pew, take your pick, take a piece out of, take the piss, sign the pledge, take the plunge, take pot luck, take a powder, take no prisoners, I'll take a rain check, take the rap, take it as read, take over the reins, take for a ride, take root, take a running jump!, take with a pinch of salt, take a shine to, take the shine off, pick up the slack, take a stand, take the sting out of, take by storm, take in stride, take to task, take by the throat, take a turn for the worse, take umbrage, take the wind out of sails, take under wing, take at word, take word for it, take the words out of mouth, take the wraps off, take the wrong way

See also: take

the icing on the cake  (British, American & Australian) also the frosting on the cake (American)

something which makes a good situation even better I was just content to see my daughter in such a stable relationship but a grandchild, that was really the icing on the cake.

See also: icing

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something takes the cake

something is the most extreme example I've known some jerks but you take the cake.

Usage notes: usually said about something bad

See also: take

a piece of cake

something very easy Most parents know that dealing with a sick child makes everything else look like a piece of cake. Our team is strong, but it won't be a piece of cake to make it to the finals.

See also: piece

have your cake and eat it too

to do or get two good things at the same time I worked at home so I could raise my family and still earn money. It let me have my cake and eat it too.

See also: and, eat, have

icing on the cake

something good that is added to another good thing He was delighted to have his story published – getting paid for it was just icing on the cake.

See also: icing

sell like hotcakes also sell like hot cakes

to sell quickly and in large numbers Since word got out about the Perry case, the book has been selling like hot cakes.

See also: like, sell