piːs əv keɪk
Food & Cooking
informal
beginner
- Literally:
- A slice of cake
What does "piece of cake" mean?
- Something very easy to do
- A task requiring little effort
Examples
- The exam was a piece of cake.
- Don't worry, fixing this is a piece of cake.
- Learning to ride a bike was a piece of cake for her.
Origin
From American English around the 1930s. Cake is associated with pleasure and ease. Similar to 'easy as pie'.
How to use it
Very common expression. Can sound dismissive if used about someone else's difficulties.
Similar expressions
easy as pie
walk in the park
child's play
breeze
Opposites
uphill battle
tough nut to crack
challenging
Related idioms
- a piece of cake
Something very easy to do
- in a nutshell
In a very brief or concise form
- an apple a day keeps the doctor away
Eating fruit or having a healthy diet helps maintain good health
- bite off more than you can chew
To take on more responsibility or work than one can handle
- don't put all your eggs in one basket
Don't risk everything on a single opportunity
- not your cup of tea
Not something you enjoy or are interested in
Use it in a practice answer
Try "piece of cake" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.