# You can't \_\_\_\_ your cake and \_\_\_ it too **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 3, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142 "2010-03-03T16:17:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/21 "2010-03-03T19:20:00Z")
I’ve always interpreted “have” as retain. It’s either sitting there on your fancy, crystal cake plate or it’s gone because you’ve eaten it(sitting in your cake _hole_, if you will). In other words, you can’t have it both ways. So either version would be correct. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/22 "2010-03-03T21:01:10Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > So either version would be correct. I left that option out on purpose because I want to know what the idiom is that people _say_. I agree that it makes sense either way, but I only \*say \*it as have/eat. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/23 "2010-03-03T21:29:40Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > I left that option out on purpose because I want to know what the idiom is that people _say_. I agree that it makes sense either way, but I only \*say \*it as have/eat. Sorry’ bout that; I’ve never heard it any other way but have/eat. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/24 "2010-03-03T21:50:21Z")
You can’t haz your cake and nom it too. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/25 "2010-03-03T22:22:40Z")
I’ve always heard that the phrase refers to fancily decorated cakes (like elaborate wedding cakes), and “have” means to admire it and/or show it off. At the very least, this should illustrate motivation to possess cake without eating it. You have to choose between saying “Hey everyone, check out this amazing cake! Isn’t this the swankiest wedding reception ever?” and saying “Hey everyone, let’s all eat some cake!”. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/26 "2010-03-04T00:16:11Z")
Anyone hear the title of this thread in Gene Rayburn’s voice? Or is that just me? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/27 "2010-03-04T00:38:20Z")
You can’t patty your cake and bake it too. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/28 "2010-03-04T01:18:21Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > But the phrase isn’t “have, then eat”, it’s “have and eat”, concurrently. Yep. You can either have a cake in your possession (to look at etc) _or_ eat it, not both at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/29 "2010-03-04T01:24:24Z")
Eat/have is the only way that really makes sense as a modern English sentence. Nevertheless, have/eat is the way the idiom is actually said. Since when do idioms have to make any sense? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/30 "2010-03-04T01:32:54Z")
> [@pedescribe](#): > > I always thought the prhase was a bit stupid, I mean, what’s the point of cake? Eating, obviously. There’s no point in just having it without eating it. You never saw that \*Seinfeld \*episode about the slice of wedding cake from the Duke & Duchess of Windsor? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/31 "2010-03-04T02:22:51Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Eat/have is the only way that really makes sense as a modern English sentence. > > Nevertheless, have/eat is the way the idiom is actually said. Since when do idioms have to make any sense? This. We’ve had this thread before and that tends to be the consensus. The idiom is just phrased poorly. It’s pretty old, anyway. I propose we scrap it and substitute it with: You can’t use your cellphone’s vibrating feature to masturbate and talk on it too. Unless you have a Bluetooth. ---
**Author:** ![Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prelude_to_Fascination)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/32 "2010-03-04T02:26:19Z")
Eat, then have. If you say “You can’t have your cake and eat it, too,” you’ve loused up the meaning. As Leo Rosten said, that’s like saying “Out one ear and in the other.” See, if you’ve eaten the cake, you can’t have it, because you’ve eaten it. Language evolves of course, and normally I don’t mind, but in this case, it bugs the holy shit out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/33 "2010-03-04T02:27:49Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Yep. You can either have a cake in your possession (to look at etc) _or_ eat it, not both at the same time. It’s not an all or nothing deal. You can eat some and have some left too. The saying never says the whole cake, and what kind of pig eats a whole cake in one sitting. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/34 "2010-03-05T15:41:36Z")
> [@Joe Frickin Friday](#): > > You can’t haz your cake and nom it too. That’s awesome. or Cake frazes rulz. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/35 "2010-03-05T15:47:42Z")
**Have** and **not have**. Unless it’s in a box with a cat, in which case the cat’s probably eaten it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/36 "2010-03-05T15:50:02Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > It’s not an all or nothing deal. You can eat some and have some left too. The saying never says the whole cake, and what kind of pig eats a whole cake in one sitting. In that case the saying would be “You can halve your cake and eat it, too”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/37 "2010-03-05T15:53:34Z")
You can’t tell people to eat cake and keep your head too. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/38 "2010-03-05T15:55:38Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > I left that option out on purpose because I want to know what the idiom is that people _say_. I agree that it makes sense either way, but I only \*say \*it as have/eat. Well, that’s not what you asked. You asked what people are _supposed_ to say so I chose option 2. If you asked what people actually say, I’d have chosen option 1. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/39 "2010-03-05T16:16:24Z")
“Have and eat.” I’ve _never_ heard it the other way around. I’ve _read_ the reverse in a book on linguisitics or perhaps just English idioms in general as a more logicial reworking of the idiom, but I’ve never actually heard anyone say that. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/40 "2010-03-05T16:36:41Z")
Sorry to nitpick but it’s [“If you don’t eat your meat how can you have any pudding?”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5diMImYIIA&feature=related) or “How can you have any pudding if you don’t eat your meat?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142.md?page=3)