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Yet another reader-submitted riddle worthy of the Sphinx. As comedian George Carlin once quipped, what's the point of cake you can't eat? Indeed, the paradox leaves us equally flummoxed. So instead of pondering why a person would possess pastries they choose not to enjoy, we sought out the phrase's less-literal meaning. The always reliable Phrase Finder explains the origin. A dramatist named John Heywood was the first to use it, at least in the written form. The expression appears in his "A dialogue Conteinyng the Nomber in Effect of All the Prouerbes in
the Englishe Tongue," a page-turner from the year 1546. (Please note the fancy Middle English spelling.) Originally, the saying went, "Wolde you bothe eate your cake, and haue your cake?" Before you answer that question by chowing down, let us explain what Mr. Heywood meant. Basically, he was saying sometimes you have to make a decision and live with the consequences. To "eat your cake and have it too" (the original expression) means you want it both ways. If you eat your cake, you no longer have your cake, because (duh) you already ate it. Hope it tasted good.
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