"You can't have your cake and eat it too."?

Question

Who else thinks this phrase is completely idiotic? The purpose of a cake is to be eaten, not to look pretty or to smell nice or to take up space.

Answer 1

I Fully agree. What do I want with a cake I can't eat? It's like going to a strip club with no dollars!

Answer 2

The saying is a bit obscure but the point of it is that if you've eaten a cake then the pleasure of it is gone and there is nothing to look forward to. It's the same with all one-off pleasures or single opportunities. You can either take them now or save them up till later, but not both.

Or to look at it the other way round, as you do when you rightly say that the real purpose of a cake is to be eaten, a resource (money, for example) is no use if you never actually use it.

Answer 3

For those who have ever baked a cake from scratch, you may be able to appreciate the expression.

First, it does indeed mean that if u eat your cake, it will be gone.


For those who do not undestand how this applies in real life, think of cake as ur money.

Think of eating it as spending it.

Then the phrase reads " you can't have your money and spend it too..."

Even though the purpose of money is to spend it as the purpose of cake is to eat it, nevertheless we try to keep money and we know that we can't have our money if we spend our money.

get it?

as for why cake is chosen - cultural... one of those things born from a small thing....

To be sure-

Back in the "old days" a good homemaker (at least, so it was said) kept a cake of some sort for visitors.

Not one time have I gone to my grandmother's or great aunt's house and not had a cake or cookie to eat.

A homemaker couldn't have the cake if the homemaker ate it too...

So, although the homemaker kept a freshly baked cake at home, the cake wouldnt be there when company suddenly comes by, if the homemaker ate the cake.

Therefore, new homemakers or future homemakers were taught to keep a freshly baked caked for company or the household. If the pupil attempted to eat the freshly baked caked, the teacher would remind...

"Ahh, Ahh, Ahh... You can't have your cake and eat it too!"

There, question answered

Answer 4

The phrase is idiotic! What's the point of having cake if you cannot eat it? The stupidest phrase in the world, ALSO IF i HAVE CAKE IT WILL BE eaten!

Answer 5

LoL. it means u can't have eaten up a cake, and still HAVE it in your hands. it's in ur stomach!! either u eat it, or u don't. =T

lots of people would learn more if they actually took this to heart; u gotta take one way or another, instead of trying to take the short cut or be selfish.

Answer 6

I don't think that we know the exact context or origin of this saying. theres a chance that it was told to some obese kid who really wanted the cake but his mother told him decided to play mean game with him and told not to eat it. just a guess.

U have to know that it sounds stupid in general circumstances but she probably saved her son's life by doing this

So take what u will from this because i have no clue where im going with this

Good luck

Answer 7

cakes can smell nice?
didn't know that.
hmmm.
well, if i had a cake. i wouldn't eat the whole thing.
especially if i do'nt have a glass of milk.
that would be horrible.
but whatever.
i don't like this phrase either.

Answer 8

I think that cake are just to be eaten

Answer 9

I like cake. Especially chocolate.

If I had it, I would eat it too.

Answer 10

If you eat your cake, then you no longer have it.

It's just a saying -- I wouldn't get too worked up over whether I actually like it or agree with it or not.