2. Idioms related to cakes and sweet things

a slice of chocolate cake

If I said to you 'No problem. It's a piece of cake', what do you think I mean?
 

  1. It's very hard to do.
  2. It's very easy to do.
  3. It's OK – not particularly hard and not particularly easy to do.
     

What do you think? If you said 2, that's exactly right!

'A piece of cake' is an idiom – a group of words with a special meaning that is different from the meaning of each word on its own.

There are a few idioms in English related to cakes or sweet things. In this step you'll find six useful ones that you hear and read quite often.

Can you guess what the idioms in bold mean in each example? Then check the definitions below to see if you're right.

The new smartphones are selling like hot cakes.
He wants more free time but refuses to cut back on work—you can't have your cake and eat it too.
The tyre was as flat as a pancake after the nail punctured it.
Getting a promotion was great, but getting a company car too was the icing on the cake.
He was as sweet as pie when he offered to help with looking after the children.
I've seen students make excuses before, but blaming the dog for missing the exam really takes the biscuit!

 

Definitions


selling like hot cakes
something that is very popular and sells very quickly
The new smartphones are selling like hot cakes.

have your cake and eat it
to have or enjoy the good parts of something without having or dealing with the bad parts
He wants more free time but refuses to cut back on work—you can't have your cake and eat it too.

flat as a pancake
completely flat
The tire was flat as a pancake after the nail punctured it.

the icing on the cake
something that makes a good situation even better
Getting a promotion was great, but getting a company car too was the icing on the cake.

as sweet as pie
very kind or pleasant
He was as sweet as pie when he offered to help look after the children.

take the biscuit (UK)
something is the most extreme or ridiculous example of a situation, often used when someone does something particularly annoying
I've seen students make excuses before, but blaming the dog for missing the exam really takes the biscuit!

You can use these idioms in informal communication to make your speaking and writing more interesting.

 

We want to hear from you!

  • Did you know any of these expressions already? Which is your favourite?
  • Do you know any more cake idioms in English?
  • Can you translate an idiom from your language into English and tell us what it means?
     
     
Average: 5 (5 votes)

Submitted by Nata1098 on Wed, 04/12/2024 - 00:27

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I heard a few of these idioms before.

My favorite idiom is “the icing on the cake” because it highlights something extraordinary.
Unfortunately, I don’t know many idioms currently.

In Ukraine, we have similar idioms like “ selling like hot cakes”  or some of them a little different, like ‘the cherry on the cake” but the meaning is the same. 

Sometimes, if  I want to praise someone but not really, such as with sarcasm, I could say: ”Well done, take your cake from the shelf.”

Submitted by saraah_0909 on Tue, 03/12/2024 - 17:52

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Hello, yes I have heard some of them. My favorite idiom will be the one saying: "as sweet as pie."

 

I know another idiom; it says, "Let them eat cake." I think it's just a phrase. Right now I cannot think of any idioms in my language using cake; sorry.

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Submitted by PWRKathrine12 on Tue, 03/12/2024 - 10:41

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Cooking is the best thing ever