“She had cake and ate it.”
Idioms Entry 197 / 1605 60-second read
Have Your Cake vs. Eat It Too
Want to enjoy two desirable things that are mutually exclusive; want it all.
The comparisoni
“You can't have your cake and eat it too — choose career or family time.”
The ruleii
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HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO = can't have everything.
Logically, if you eat cake, you don't have it anymore — hence the paradox.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Once you eat it, it's gone. You can't enjoy both states.