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

Demellier Hudson As far as contemporary handbag brands go, Demellier takes the cake on high-quality affordability. —Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 15 Dec. 2025

Supermassive black holes are notoriously messy eaters, but the behemoth at the heart of spiral galaxy NGC 3783 really takes the cake — and then flings it out into space at a fifth the speed of light. —Kiona N. Smith, Space.com, 9 Dec. 2025

The 29-year-old model and Rhode founder sported zebra print pants, a furry leopard print bag, and at least three fur coats—but her cheetah nails took the cake. —Glamour, 8 Dec. 2025

Women’s Halo Basin Bomber Speaking of chic jackets, the Vuori Basin Bomber may take the cake. —Kristine Thomason, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 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