had one's cake and ate it too

A form of have one's cake and eat it too — To benefit by having two things which are mutually incompatible (such as eating a piece of cake and yet still possessing that piece for future use).

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Meanings

verb
  1. pastsimple past of have one's cake and eat it too
Cite this entry
APA

had one's cake and ate it too. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/had%20one's%20cake%20and%20ate%20it%20too

MLA

“had one's cake and ate it too.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/had%20one's%20cake%20and%20ate%20it%20too. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “had one's cake and ate it too,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/had%20one's%20cake%20and%20ate%20it%20too.

Source: had one's cake and ate it too on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.