juː kɑːnt hæv jɔːr keɪk ænd iːt ɪt tuː
Food & Cooking
neutral
beginner
- Literally:
- Impossible to both keep and consume cake
What does "you can't have your cake and eat it too" mean?
- You can't have two incompatible things
- You must choose; you can't have everything
Examples
- You want flexibility and structure? You can't have your cake and eat it too.
- She wants freedom and security—you can't have your cake and eat it too.
- Working less and earning more? You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Origin
English proverb from the 1500s. Once you eat a cake, you no longer have it. You must choose one or the other.
How to use it
Classic expression about trade-offs. Logic: eating cake destroys it.
Similar expressions
can't have both
must choose
trade-offs required
Opposites
best of both worlds
have it all
Related idioms
- piece of cake
Something very easy to do
- 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
Use it in a practice answer
Try "you can't have your cake and eat it too" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.