eat one's cake and have it, too



eat one's cake and have it, too

Also, have one's cake and eat it, too. Have a dual benefit, consume something and still possess it, as in Doug was engaged to Ann and still dating Jane; he was trying to eat his cake and have it, too . This metaphoric expression is often put negatively, as it already was in John Heywood's proverb collection of 1546: "You cannot eat your cake and have your cake."
See also: and, cake, eat, have

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Cristianokree-STYAH-no (Italian), kreesh-TYA-noo (Portuguese)Italian, Portuguese
Ballentine['bæləntain]
AnakinAN-a-kinPopular Culture
IngridING-rid (Swedish), ING-ree (Norwegian), ING-grit (German)Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German
RoystonROIS-tənEnglish (Rare)
Panayiotis-Greek