have your cake and eat it
/ˌhæv jə ˈkeɪk ən ˈiːt ɪt/INFORMAL · C1
Meaning
to get two advantages that are usually impossible to combine
Examples
- 1You can't have your cake and eat it — if you want a dog, you'll have less free time.
- 2He wants a big salary and short hours; basically, he wants to have his cake and eat it.
- 3The club wants lower fees and better facilities, but it can't have its cake and eat it.
- 4Can we really have our cake and eat it, saving money while going on three holidays a year?
- 5Aisha wants to live by the sea and keep her job in the city — she can't have her cake and eat it.
Grammar
Usually after can't or want to. your changes to my, their, its and so on. American English adds too at the end.
Similar in meaning
More idioms about food
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →hit the spotto be exactly what you wanted, especially food or drinkcry over spilt milkto be upset about something that cannot be changedlike two peas in a podvery similar, especially in how they lookbutter someone upto be very nice to someone so that they will help yougo bananasto become very angry or very exciteda hot potatoa difficult subject that people argue about
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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