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

But this one takes the cake as the favorite, and that's probably thanks to the tangy ranch sauce and ultra-crisp breading made with panko and eggs. —Lizzy Briskin, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2026

Between Tennessee Onions, Creamed Onions and Vidalia Onion Pie there are quite a few head-turning Southern delicacies with onion as the star, but this one has to take the cake in the creativity department. —Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 3 Jan. 2026

All of Orveda’s products are excellent, but one of them took the cake this year. —Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 31 Dec. 2025

The Nasdaq Composite in 2025 Top stocks in 2025 Western Digital is going to take the cake, up about 291% in 2025. —Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 30 Dec. 2025

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