UKking

I have no idea what that shit is supposed to mean, and I don't know why people keep saying it! Throw me a bone here; what exactly is this phrase supposed to communicate?

vanblah

You can either keep the cake or eat the cake. You can't do both.

Jetée

The urbandictionary sums it up quite nicely:

This phrase is easier to understand if it is read as "You can't eat your cake, and have it too". Obviously once you've eaten your cake, you won't have it any more. Used for expressing the impossibility of having something both ways, if those two ways conflict.
He works so hard to pay for that fancy house of his that he never has any time to stay home and enjoy it.

Yeah, you can't have your cake and eat it too.



In my own words:

A cake might be nice to look at, but you are faced with the decision of either being in awe of the creation or devouring it, thus tarnishing the beauty of it. It states that you cannot have everything you might want in life.

__________________
The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers. —M. Scott Peck

Baraka_Guru

I trowe ye raue, Wolde ye bothe eate your cake, and haue your cake?
[1546 J. Heywood Dialogue of Proverbs ii. ix. L2]

It's what you say to people who want the best of both worlds. In most cases, you can't. You can't have everything both ways. Either you save money for retirement or you frivolously blow it all on whatever delights you. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

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"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. [...] In our age there is no such thing as 'keeping out of politics.' All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia. When the general atmosphere is bad, language must suffer."

—"Politics and the English Language," George Orwell

"Humankind cannot bear very much reality."

—"Burnt Norton," Four Quartets, T. S. Eliot

SSJTWIZTA

ive always heard this phrase....and hated it.

if i have a cake im going to eat the mother fucker.

metaphorically or not.

__________________
First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for me And there was no one left to speak out for me.
-Pastor Martin Niemoller

vanblah

And then you would no longer have the cake.

Baraka_Guru

Yeah, dude. Your cake will be totally gone.

__________________
"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. [...] In our age there is no such thing as 'keeping out of politics.' All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia. When the general atmosphere is bad, language must suffer."

—"Politics and the English Language," George Orwell

"Humankind cannot bear very much reality."

—"Burnt Norton," Four Quartets, T. S. Eliot

aberkok

Either you die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

__________________
http://arkana-music.com

Baraka_Guru

I should have seen that coming.

__________________
"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. [...] In our age there is no such thing as 'keeping out of politics.' All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia. When the general atmosphere is bad, language must suffer."

—"Politics and the English Language," George Orwell

"Humankind cannot bear very much reality."

—"Burnt Norton," Four Quartets, T. S. Eliot

twistedmosaic

This expression would work better if cakes were equally prized for visual appeal and flavor. For example, if you had an Ace of Cakes cake or something in some awesome pattern, that was also delicious. You couldn't enjoy one aspect without destroying the other.

Jetée

Giant hamburger cake

__________________
The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers. —M. Scott Peck

Charlatan

I argue that once I have eaten my cake it then goes on to become part of me. It has transformed into me through the chemistry and biomechanics of my body. I am still in possession of the cake... only now no other greedy fucker can eat it (cannibalism aside).

I am more troubled by: six of one, half a dozen of another.

Shouldn't it be: Call it six or half a dozen... it's the same. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

__________________
“I like paying taxes. With them I buy civilization.” - Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes

UKking

Thankya. Good reference point.

I dunno, this seems like the kind of rhetoric that gets applied mostly after-the-fact. Here's another saying: Hindsight is 20/20. I could go on to try to finely describe the relationships intrinsic in this cake phrase, as far as I see it, but instead I'll pass go and collect $200:
Though the implied idea often exists, I think it's a phrase used mostly for destructive criticism, and is useless and stupid.
-----Added 21/8/2008 at 10 : 40 : 28-----
Sounds to me like the cake has you!
-----Added 21/8/2008 at 10 : 40 : 54-----
Huh! Haven't heard that first one. Actually, I like it. Doubt I'll run across a circumstance to use it though. Your proposed version, while similar, seems very different in tone and use to me.

jewels

Don't let them fool you. You can have your cake and eat it, too.

Don't people keep their wedding cake in the freezer and take a bite every anniversary or some nonsense like that? They have their cake and eat it, too. Although it could be telling. My cakes never made it past the first year.

I'm just sayin' ...

__________________
Politics is applesauce.


- Will Rogers

Baraka_Guru

...so you're saying you prefer to eat your cake rather than have it....

__________________
"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. [...] In our age there is no such thing as 'keeping out of politics.' All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia. When the general atmosphere is bad, language must suffer."

—"Politics and the English Language," George Orwell

"Humankind cannot bear very much reality."

—"Burnt Norton," Four Quartets, T. S. Eliot

The_Jazz

Charlatan, wouldn't your premise fly out the proverbial window once pooping is introduced to the equation? Its not like that cake will ALWAYS be with you - you're going to transform it into energy or poop. Or do you have a slow metabolism and expect to get cake-fattened?

__________________
The proud dad of Max since 2/15/06 and Andrew since 1/9/08!

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

UKking

Bahah that sounds terrible. That'd be likely to make me sick! I don't think I want that cake...

Cernunnos

You can't eat your cake and still have it.

Eating the cake can be interpreted as taking a risk which will cause you to lose it.

Eating Cake = Taking Action
It = Resulting Loss

Example: You're in a loving relationship, a total hottie asks you up front for a one night stand. You can go for it, but you shouldn't expect to have your cake (the loving relationship) afterwards.

Katyanna

This is basically the gist of it. In Minnesota, there is a city that most people who live elsewhere refer to the inhabitants as cake-eaters. They have their cake and eat it too. Though this has more to do with the socioeconomic of the area.

Also..for those guys that may be considering this: Don't call it pie. You just won't get away with it.

Charlatan

True... but you can't have your cake forever even if you don't eat it. It will eventually rot... entropy is all.

Isn't it just more fun to eat the damn thing?

__________________
“I like paying taxes. With them I buy civilization.” - Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes

The_Jazz

Possibly, but if you have a glandular problem and eat your cake, it's possible that said consumed cake would simply be added onto your already thunderous thighs and then become worm fodder.

Besides, with the advancements in cryogenics these days, perhaps cake frozen near absolute zero would be quite tasty, if only a little chilly.

__________________
The proud dad of Max since 2/15/06 and Andrew since 1/9/08!

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

Merlocke

Chris (looking at the Twinkie in his hand): I'm going to turn you into poo.

Technically, it'd be cake, but in poo form no?

__________________
-=[ Merlocke ]=-

Cynosure

I thought Marie Antoinette's take on the saying, was funny: "They can't eat cake and have my head, too... ! What?"

SSJTWIZTA

...shit.

but then again, jewels does make a good point.

i can have my my cake and eat it...slowly.

but alas..one day the cake has to go.

edit: im starting to think entirely too hard about this.

__________________
First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for me And there was no one left to speak out for me.
-Pastor Martin Niemoller

Seer666

"With cake in vulgar surplus, you can have it and eat it to"
Toy Matinee
Last Plane Out

__________________
Bad spellers of the world untie!!!

I am the one you warned me of

I seem to have misplaced the bullet with your name on it, but I have a whole box addressed to occupant.

Jozrael