Idiom
Take the cake
If something takes the cake, it is the most extreme example of its kind, usually the most annoying, foolish or surprising.
How people use it
Today it is mostly ironic: people say it about something outrageous, often after a series of smaller annoyances: I've heard some excuses, but that one takes the cake. It can still be real praise (her pie really takes the cake), but that use is rarer. It is mainly American; British speakers often say take the biscuit. The tone is informal and often exasperated. It usually appears as takes the cake or took the cake.
Also said: take the biscuit.
Examples
- Ben has been late before, but showing up the next day really takes the cake.
- Of all the odd things guests have left behind, a live goldfish takes the cake.
- Her homemade lemon pie takes the cake at every family picnic.
Where it comes from
Most sources connect it to cakewalks, dance contests held in Black communities in the American South in the 1800s, where the couple with the most stylish walk won a cake. Cakes were given as prizes in other contests too, as far back as ancient Greece. The ironic sense, winning a prize for being the worst, grew over time.
Check yourself
1. What does someone usually mean when they say a mistake takes the cake?
Answer: It is the worst or most surprising one. Takes the cake usually means the most extreme example, often said ironically.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: We've had odd requests, but a customer asking for soup in a cone takes the cake.. The idiom marks something extreme, not something ordinary or forgettable.
Similar idioms
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