Idiom
You can't have your cake and eat it too
You can't have your cake and eat it too means you cannot enjoy two good things when choosing one rules out the other.
How people use it
People say it when someone wants both sides of a choice: "You want a big house and no mortgage? You can't have your cake and eat it too." It is a gentle reality check. The logic can seem odd at first, because of course you have cake before you eat it. The point is that once you eat it, you no longer have it. British speakers often drop "too," and people also use the shorter form alone: "He wants to have his cake and eat it." The tone is informal.
Also said: have your cake and eat it, you can't have your cake and eat it.
Examples
- You want to sleep late and get to the gym at seven; you can't have your cake and eat it too.
- Sam wants a high salary and a short workweek, but he can't have his cake and eat it.
- If you spend your savings on a trip, you can't have your cake and eat it too when rent is due.
Where it comes from
The saying is centuries old. John Heywood's 1546 collection of proverbs asks whether you would both eat your cake and have your cake. That older word order makes the logic clearer: once you have eaten the cake, you cannot still have it. Over time the order flipped to the more common "have your cake and eat it," which is why many people find the modern version confusing.
Check yourself
1. What does you can't have your cake and eat it too mean?
Answer: You can't have two things that cancel each other out. The saying means some choices rule each other out, so you must pick one.
2. Which situation fits the saying best?
Answer: Maya wants to save money and also buy a new car every year. Saving money and buying a new car each year pull in opposite directions.
Similar idioms
Word game fan? See every word hiding in CAKE.