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Eat your cake and have it too Meaning in English

expression

EET YOOR KAYK and HAV it TOO
EET YAWR KAYK and HAV it TOO

Definition

To want two things that cannot both happen at the same time, usually having all the benefits without any sacrifice.

Usage & Nuances

This is often used to point out when someone is being unrealistic or selfish in wanting all advantages with none of the consequences. It’s informal, and similar in meaning to 'you can’t have it both ways.'

Spanish: querer todo - querer tenerlo todo sin perder nadaPortuguese (BR): querer tudo - querer ficar com tudo sem perder nadaPortuguese (PT): querer tudo - querer ficar com tudo sem perder nadaChinese (Simplified): 既要马儿跑，又要马儿不吃草Chinese (Traditional): 魚與熊掌不可兼得Hindi: दोनों फायदों को पाना चाहनाArabic: تريد كل شيء دون أن تخسر شيئًاBengali: দুই দিকই রাখা - একইসাথে সবকিছু চাওয়া (কেক খাওয়া ও রেখে দেওয়া)Russian: усидеть на двух стульях - и рыбку съесть, и на ёлку влезтьJapanese: 一石二鳥を狙う - 両方手に入れようとするVietnamese: vừa ăn bánh vừa giữ bánh - muốn cả hai thứ không thể đồng thời có đượcKorean: 두 마리 토끼를 잡으려 하다 - 떡도 먹고 싶고, 떡도 가지고 있고 싶다Turkish: hem pastayı yemek hem pastayı elde tutmakUrdu: دونوں کام کرنا چاہنا - کیک بھی کھانا اور اسے اپنے پاس بھی رکھناIndonesian: mau enak tanpa rugi - mau makan kue tapi kue tetap utuh

Example Sentences

You can't eat your cake and have it too.

basic

If you want to travel, you can't eat your cake and have it too—you may need to spend money.

basic

She wants to work less and still get paid the same. You can’t eat your cake and have it too.

basic

Look, you can't eat your cake and have it too. Sometimes you have to choose what's more important.

natural

People always want shortcuts, but you can't just eat your cake and have it too in life.

natural

He was upset he missed the party, but you can't eat your cake and have it too when you choose to work instead.

natural