The literal meaning of the phrase "have your cake and eat it"
Was explained to me by my 12 year old sister, when I was 23.
(leviticus no longer likes the cut of your gib on, Wed 25 Jan 2012, 11:42, 12 replies)

I've just googled this and now I know
I'm 27.
(TheManWithThePlan cussed your mum on, Wed 25 Jan 2012, 11:48, closed)

In any reasonable world, it should be "have your cake and eat it too"
Recently a Polish friend of mine got frustrated and mangled this phrase beautifully. She said "It's like she wants to have a cake, eat a cake, and still have a whole cake to eat."

We laughed, but at least she understood the idiom, even if she couldn't remember how it was phrased - that puts her well ahead of us.
(leviticus no longer likes the cut of your gib on, Wed 25 Jan 2012, 11:52, closed)

Cute

( scarpe We Stole Bikes, Wed 25 Jan 2012, 15:18, closed)

Patronising.

( scarpe We Stole Bikes, Wed 25 Jan 2012, 15:18, closed)

So few things manage to be both

(leviticus no longer likes the cut of your gib on, Wed 25 Jan 2012, 15:55, closed)

I would like to be served 2 portions of cake,
both of which I would like to eat.
Greed, ladies & gentlemen - is good. Especially if you own a patisserie.
(Misery McUglywife an attention seeking sociopathic fuckstain., Wed 25 Jan 2012, 11:57, closed)

You are a 1980s tory boy
AICMFP.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Wed 25 Jan 2012, 11:58, closed)

I'm reading this as an admission of intra familial child abuse.

( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Wed 25 Jan 2012, 12:26, closed)

I had my cake,
but I'm not interested in eating a spunky pile of crumbs.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Wed 25 Jan 2012, 12:38, closed)

Why 'spunky'?
What did you do to the cake before you ate it?
(The Magic Number is neither magic nor a number, Wed 25 Jan 2012, 12:41, closed)

I had it.
Do try to keep up.

I didn't beat it up, I had sex with it. Apologies for any confusion.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Wed 25 Jan 2012, 15:06, closed)

The problem with that one
isn't the actual idea, which is clear enough.

It's the clunky way it is written. It feels like a run on sentance, and thus the 'and eat it' bit seems unconnected.
(username failed moderation, Wed 25 Jan 2012, 14:06, closed)