The Person Who…

Started the “you can’t have your cake and eat it too” clearly doesn’t know how buying cake works. On the surface, this phrase makes zero sense. However when you break it down and get deeper into it’s meaning… it also makes… ZERO sense. I know the person who this phrase is attributed to was trying to come off like he/she came up with a banger but it’s not. It’s just… ass.

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swirlie · 31-35, F

Well no, what you're saying is not actually true!

The idiom "you can't have your cake and eat it too" means you cannot simultaneously enjoy two conflicting or mutually exclusive things. It is a way of pointing out that life requires trade-offs and you have to make a choice rather than expecting to get all possible benefits at once.

The phrase sounds slightly confusing because "having" and "eating" are often seen as the same thing. However, the idiom relies on the idea of possessing something:

~ "Having" means to possess, keep ...or hold onto your cake.

~ "Eating" means to consume or destroy the cake.

Historically, the phrase was often written in reverse: "You can't eat your cake and have it too". Once you eat and consume the cake, it is gone; you no longer possess it.

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