You can't have your cake and eat it

Many of you might be asking yourselves what is the meaning of the English phrase You can’t have your cake and eat it (too). We all understand the words but really ... What does it mean?

Let's imagine that someone very dear to us has prepared us a delicious cake. On the one hand, we are excited thinking about the cake that is waiting for us in the fridge. However, on the other hand, we know that once we have eaten it we will never have that same cake again. So, what it means is that we cannot enjoy both things at the same time. We have to decide!

Let's see the following example:

Mary: Oh Katie, I do not know what to do. My company has offered me a new position and a better salary, but it would mean moving away from home.

Katie: Well, you know what they say, Mary, you can’t have your cake and eat it (too).

As you can see, this phrase is used a lot in situations in which a person has a hard time choosing between two options because both of them present advantages. Simple, is it not? A piece of cake! (since we’re on the topic of cakes although we will discuss this expression later on).

How about you? Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you have hesitated between having your cake or eating it? We’d love you to tell us in the comments below.