If you're going to have it, you're obviously going to eat it, right? Cake's are made to be eaten. I don't understand - can anyone shed any light on this saying?
2007-12-30 22:55:25 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
But if you eat it, you no longer have it. That's the point. You can't have it both ways.
2007-12-30 22:58:57 · answer #1 · answered by Franklin 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
it want make any difference to me still i am going to finish it if you will make it for me
2007-12-31 16:08:06 · answer #2 · answered by answering machine 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The saying is usually, and incrorrectly, rendered as 'To have your cake and eat it'. Clearly, this is absurd, since the whole point of having a cake is to eat it.
The word order has become transposed over time, and is correctly rendered 'To eat your cake and [still] have it', meaning that once you have eaten your cake, you no longer have it to eat again, and thus no longer the pleasure of the anticipation.
2007-12-31 09:00:49 · answer #3 · answered by kinning_park 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Omg I was only thinking this exact thing earlier today.....
I totally agree with what you mean by how we're obviously going to eat cake if we have it.
According to a website I checked it means;-
"you have to sacrifice something in order to get something else, you can't have everything without some sacrifice"
But I still think cake is an awful example.
2007-12-31 08:14:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means wanting to have but something both ways but without giving anything up for something better.
2007-12-31 07:58:53 · answer #5 · answered by Musicman 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, you could always freeze part of it for later.
2007-12-31 07:56:36 · answer #6 · answered by Lorenzo Steed 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The phrase's earliest recording is from 1546 as "wolde you bothe eate your cake, and have your cake?" alluding to the impossibility of eating your cake and still having it afterwards.
Comedian George Carlin said:
"What good is a cake you can't eat? What should I eat, someone else's cake instead?".
More info on Wikipedia and The Phrase Finder
Either way, enjoy your cake!
2007-12-31 07:35:07 · answer #7 · answered by quicker 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
not literally, it means you cant have it both ways.
marie antoinette said let the poor starving peasants eat cake and they cut her head off.
2007-12-31 07:29:46 · answer #8 · answered by crazzijimsmith 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your opinion is one thing, but you cannot totally disregard the thoughts of another, you cannot have your cake (opinion ) AND eat it( I'M NOT WRONG) attitude!
2007-12-31 07:05:18 · answer #9 · answered by DENNIS P 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
"To have one's cake and eat it too".
Meaning that if you eat it, you don't have it anymore. You can't have both at the same time. Get it?
2007-12-31 07:05:00 · answer #10 · answered by sdsrfbum69 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The full proverb is:
"You cannot have your cake and eat it"
In other words, some choices are mutually exclusive
2007-12-31 07:03:28 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋