# 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:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/41 "2010-03-05T17:42:07Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > According to this, I’ve said this phrase incorrectly my entire life. I think he’s terribly wrong, though. So which way should the phrase go? > [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > And it looks like I got all poll-happy, and forgot to get my [linky-linky](http://matthom.com/archive/2008/02/19/commonly-misused-phrases-and-cliches) on. He acknowledges that the saying is “have your cake and eat it, too” but argues that it should be “eat your cake and have it, too”. You _have_ been saying it correctly. ---
**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 5, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/42 "2010-03-05T18:36:21Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > You can’t tell people to eat cake and keep your head too. Cute 🙂 This does bring up the highjack of why we say _be_headed when we’re talking about taking one’s head _off_? If a person is beheaded shouldn’t he be covered in heads? Like “bejewelled” or bedecked? ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/43 "2010-03-05T22:27:07Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Bake and fuck. Hmmm, when come back, bring warm apple pie. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/44 "2010-03-06T00:03:07Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Cute 🙂 This does bring up the highjack of why we say _be_headed when we’re talking about taking one’s head _off_? If a person is beheaded shouldn’t he be covered in heads? Like “bejewelled” or bedecked? Covered in decks? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/45 "2010-03-06T00:08:34Z")
“Have” and “Eat” is the way I usually hear it, but that way makes no sense. Anyone can have their cake and eat it too. “Eat” then “Have” is what makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/46 "2010-03-06T04:16:12Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > You can’t have your Kate and Edith too. Well that depends entirely on Edith and Kate. Are they the adventurous sort? ---
**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 6, 2010, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/47 "2010-03-06T04:20:17Z")
Does that mean I can’t have both Kate Hudson and Edith Labelle? Bummer! ---
**Author:** ![Gustav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Gustav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gustav)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/48 "2010-03-06T12:28:10Z")
What’s the point of having a cake if you can’t eat it? ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/49 "2010-03-06T21:19:06Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Yep. You can either have a cake in your possession (to look at etc) _or_ eat it, not both at the same time. What if it’s Schroedinger’s Cake? ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/50 "2010-03-06T22:00:37Z")
“Eating your cake and having it” is what got the Unabomer caught, remember. His brother read the manifesto and connected the unusual phrase with Ted. ---
**Author:** ![Bayesian\_Empirimancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@Bayesian\_Empirimancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayesian_Empirimancer)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142/51 "2010-03-06T22:07:07Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > What if it’s Schroedinger’s Cake? I didn’t realize that he was a baker too [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-____-your-cake-and-___-it-too/531142.md?page=2)