• umbraklat@lemmy.sdf.org
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    1 year ago

    I wondered about this for years and years, never understanding, especially, since “having cake” and “eating cake” are used interchangeably. But, I finally figured it out! In this sense, the “having” is equivalent to “keeping” or “being in possession of.”

    Examples:

    • “What’s it like having a Mercedes Benz?”
    • “The Smiths have a very nice home.”

    No eating implied!

    Therefore, the saying is more inline with “You can’t keep (to show off or admire) your cake, and eat it, too.”