What does ‘have your cake and eat it too’ mean?
To “have your cake and eat it too” means to enjoy two mutually exclusive advantages. The proverb is recorded in English from the 16th century in the form 'You cannot eat your cake and have it'; Brewer's includes it as an old English proverb.
Origin
- The proverb is recorded in English from the 16th century in the form 'You cannot eat your cake and have it'; Brewer's includes it as an old English proverb.
How to use it
- Used to point out impossible wishes.
- Example: You can't quit your job and keep the salary — you can't have your cake and eat it too.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.