The expression “you can’t have your cake and eat it too” refers to the fact that a person must choose between two undesirable outcomes because they are incompatible.
Josh was offered a promotion at work, but the trade-off is that he’d have to put in extra hours on the weekends. What would he do on a Saturday, when he most wanted to hang out with his pals?
Example: Josh would like to have the best of both worlds: more money from taking the job and the same amount of time spent with his buddies. Because of this, his sibling admonished him, “Josh, you can’t have your cake and eat it too.
There’s a fork in the road: Do you prefer working on Saturdays or hanging out with friends? So, in essence, what his sibling was saying to him was, “You can’t have it both ways.
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It’s Impossible to “have your Cake and Eat it too,” And that’s Where the Expression Comes From.
You can’t have your cake and eat it too, as the saying goes. It’s common for individuals to inquire, “Wait, why can’t I do both?” when they hear this. Since eating a cake would result in its disappearance, this is the correct response. You’d feel it where it counts—in your stomach!
You can’t have your cake and eat it too, could be a somewhat more understandable version of this saying.
Some people have conflicting desires, as this adage illustrates (like in the example above). It’s an expression along the lines of “you can’t have it both ways” or “you can’t have the best of both worlds.”
But seriously, this adage must be at least 470 years old. A discourse conteinyng the nomber in effect of all the prouerbes in the english tongue, 1546, by John Heywood is one such example.
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The Expression “you can’t have your Cake and Eat it too” is Used in a Variety of Contexts.
The adage “you can’t have your cake and eat it too” is illustrated by the following scenario.
To get more exercise, Mike was thinking about purchasing a rowing machine. He was looking for a machine that didn’t cost the earth but nonetheless did its job well. He was advised, “Can t Have Your Cake And Eat it Too, but with rowing machines, you can’t do that. You’ll have to spend top cash for a premium product.