take the cake

phrase

variants chiefly US take the cake or British take the biscuit

informal

: to win the prize : to rank first

While it didn't take the cake for the warmest Christmas on record, it was close.

—Krista McEnany

—typically used to describe something that is very surprising, foolish, remarkable, annoying, etc.

There have been doozies in the flurry of free-agent signings … but the Giants' acquisition of quarterback Kerry Collins takes the cake.

—Peter King

Of all the invasions of her privacy, this one took the cake.

—Richard Peck

When he was quite sure that the narrative had ended he laughed noiselessly for fully half a minute. Then he said: "Well! … That takes the biscuit!"

—James Joyce

Examples of take the cake in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But a viral video of a man being stuck inside a porta-potty might take the cake. — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 17 July 2026

Royal onlookers can often find the little royal looking at her mom with utmost admiration, but her beams of pride at Wimbledon 2024 might just take the cake. — Alicia Brunker, InStyle, 3 July 2026

Bergs Potter takes the cake for me, closely followed by the majolica-like planters at Williams-Sonoma and a few stylish designs from Ferm Living and Pottery Barn. — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 6 Apr. 2026

Martha Stewart’s elegant style is always inspiring, but her most recent ensemble at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics really takes the cake. — Cheryl Wagemann, InStyle, 22 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for take the cake

• radiopaque
• ache
• ake
• bake
• brake
• break
• craik
• crake
• fake
• flake
• hake
• jake