eat\ one's\ cake\ and\ have\ it\ too

eat\ one's\ cake\ and\ have\ it\ too
v. phr.
To use or spend something and still keep it; have both when you must choose one of two things. Often used in negative sentences.

Roger can't make up his mind whether to go to college or get a job. You can't eat your cake and have it too.

Mary wants to buy a beautiful dress she saw at the store, but she also wants to save her birthday money for camp. She wants to eat her cake and have it too.


Словарь американских идиом. — СПб., Изд-во "Лань". . 1997.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • eat one's cake and have it too — {v. phr.} To use or spend something and still keep it; have both when you must choose one of two things. Often used in negative sentences. * /Roger can t make up his mind whether to go to college or get a job. You can t eat your cake and have it… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • eat one's cake and have it too — {v. phr.} To use or spend something and still keep it; have both when you must choose one of two things. Often used in negative sentences. * /Roger can t make up his mind whether to go to college or get a job. You can t eat your cake and have it… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • eat one's cake and have it too — use or spend something and still keep it He always wants to eat his cake and have it too and is never prepared to sacrifice anything …   Idioms and examples

  • have one's cake and eat it too — {v. phr.} To enjoy two opposite advantages. * /You can either spend your money going to Europe or save it for a down payment on a house, but you can t do both. That would be having your cake and eating it, too./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • have one's cake and eat it too — {v. phr.} To enjoy two opposite advantages. * /You can either spend your money going to Europe or save it for a down payment on a house, but you can t do both. That would be having your cake and eating it, too./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Have one's cake and eat it too — To wish to have one s cake and eat it too or simply have one s cake and eat it (sometimes eat one s cake and have it too) is to want more than one can handle or deserve, or to try to have two incompatible things. This is a popular English… …   Wikipedia

  • have\ one's\ cake\ and\ eat\ it\ too — v. phr. To enjoy two opposite advantages. You can either spend your money going to Europe or save it for a down payment on a house, but you can t do both. that would be having your cake and eating it, too …   Словарь американских идиом

  • have one's cake and eat it too — verb To seek to have two things which are mutually incompatible (such as eating a piece of cake and yet still possessing that piece for future use). Do you seriously want to break up with her and still have sex with her? You cant have your cake… …   Wiktionary

  • cake — See: EAT ONE S CAKE AND HAVE IT TOO, PAT A CAKE, TAKE THE CAKE …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • cake — See: EAT ONE S CAKE AND HAVE IT TOO, PAT A CAKE, TAKE THE CAKE …   Dictionary of American idioms

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”