take the cake

idiomatic 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

Skiing may be the second-most exciting way to slide at Chestnut Ridge, though, with the park’s iconic toboggan chutes taking the cake. —Brian Higgins, Outside, 28 Jan. 2026

The winters of 1976-1977 and 1977-1978 take the cake for the most memorable seasons of snow. —Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 23 Jan. 2026

Naturally, holiday movies occupied a ton of space on the charts this week as well, and Home Alone took the cake with 1B minutes viewed. —Katie Campione, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026

Super-high-rise Tight 25-inch takes the cake—choose from 20 vibrant hues and save up to $49. —Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 15 Jan. 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