What Does ‘Piece of Cake’ Mean?

You must have heard the phrase “piece of cake” online and came searching for its meaning. Well, the phrase “piece of cake” means “easy.” But if you’re wondering why a phrase saying cake means easy, then this guide will explain it to you.

‘Piece of Cake’ Meaning

The idiom “piece of cake” does not refer to a physical piece of a cake. It’s an idiom that means “easy.” For example you could say that “Solving a physics equation is a piece of cake for me.” which would mean that solving the physics equation is easy for you.

Why Does ‘Piece of Cake’ Mean Easy?

While the phrase clearly states a “piece of cake,” its meaning is not tied to a literal cake, unless the speaker intends a literal cake, of course.

The reason why the idiom “piece of cake” means “easy” rather than an actual cake is because it’s an idiom, and idioms are expressions whose meaning can’t always be understood from the literal phrase itself. Idiomatic expressions say one thing but mean the other. These phrases form through cultural references, historical events, or common experiences that become widely recognized and accepted within communities. Gradually, these expressions become figurative because their origin is widely forgotten while they’re still in use. Take the history of “piece of cake” as an example:

Historical Origin of The ‘Piece of Cake’ Idiom

The actual historical origin of ‘piece of cake’ is disputed. While people continue to debate its origin based on supposition and hearsay without evidence, the earliest known use of the phrase dates back to 1936, which still doesn’t point out the phrase’s origin.

‘Piece of cake’ could be of American origins:

“Piece of cake” is widely regarded as American because of an American poet’s poem, a cultural tradition, and soldiers.

1. O. Nash’s Primrose Path:

It was by an American poet and humorist, Ogden Nash, in his poem Primrose Path (1936):

“But Pinkley Pills have shown her how

To cure that steady ache.

Her picture’s in the papers now,

And life’s a piece of cake.”

This occurrence of the idiom in O. Nash’s poem is widely used as a reference to support the phrase’s American roots. However, while the O. Nash example is a point of reference, it's important to acknowledge that it doesn't definitively prove the phrase's American roots. Other possibilities, such as borrowing or pre-existing (yet undocumented usage), cannot be disregarded. The sole reason why this instance is widely regarded as evidence is other possibilities’s inevidence.

2. The Cakewalk Dance:

In addition to the phrase occurring in an American poet’s poem, the expression is widely linked to the “cakewalk” dance of African-American enslaved people in the southern U.S during the 19th century. It is supposed that the cakewalk dance involved dancing around a cake that would then be awarded as a prize to the most skilled dancers with the most elaborate moves among them. With time, the term “cakewalk” is said to have been used to describe something effortless, which is still used, and evolved into the now-known idiom “piece of cake.”

However, it is supposed that perhaps the phrase “piece of cake” itself evolved into what it is today rather than “cakewalk” as the winners would call their “winning” (or the prize — cake), “a piece of cake,” perhaps because cakewalk was very easy to perform, and the winners would call their winning or dance as such by saying, “It was as easy as eating a piece of cake” (referring to the prize), which would later evolve. However, most oppose this supposition by arguing that the dance was actually very challenging but only looked easy; the moves needed skill and practice to pull off. But winners would call it easy because they had great practice and skill to do it easily. Or because they were prized with a cake: “It’s a piece of cake!”

3. U.S. Soldiers During World War 2:

Additionally, “piece of cake” became a popular slang in the U.S. military during World War II (1939–1945). American pilots and soldiers would use it to describe missions or tasks that were easy to accomplish. From then, the phrase became part of military slang and later entered mainstream American English.

Based on these, many believe the phrase to be American.

‘Piece of cake’ could be of British origins:

While the phrase is mostly considered American, with the cakewalk dance and O. Nash’s poem being the strongholds, those who deem the phrase as British have their share of counter arguments:

1. Primrose Had Two Editions:

O. Nash’s book had two varying publishings: one in 1935 in New York by Simon & Schuster (the first edition), and the other in 1936 in London by (most likely) a British editor (the latter edition), which contains the “piece of cake” phrase and is oft-quoted to prove the phrase’s American origin since it’s coming from an American writer.

But in O. Nash’s first print (1935), the end line “And life’s a piece of cake” uses a different phrase: “And everything is jake,” which was a popular American slang at the time meaning “excellent,” “fine,” “good,” or “perfect.” This suggests that the American writer had originally written an American phrase rather than the British “piece of cake” (as debated from this point-of-view), but perhaps the British editor edited “And everything is jake” to “piece of cake” to make it more accessible to the British audience (if the phrase is British), although there’s no evidence to back this up, so it stands as just another possibility. It is possible that the writer himself changed it to the British phrase for his second publication that’s supposed to be published in the U.K. It should be noted that a similar word “jack” was used in British English to describe a “lowly” or “peasant” status, rather than excellent.

2. American’s Attribution to the English:

Furthermore, some quotations of the phrase by Americans have been recorded to attribute the phrase to the English (people of England, U.K.). For example, a 1951 American flying magazine article featured the line, “The radio operator’s weather reports show all stations ahead in good shape and as the English say, ‘It’s a piece of cake.’”, suggesting that the saying “a piece of cake” is British — as pointed out in the article “A Piece of Cake” by Ben Yagoda.

3. U.S. and British Soldiers Allied During World War 2:

The use of idiom by American pilots and soldiers (as pointed in early citations) is also debatable since the U.S. and Great Britain had allied (along with other countries) to defeat the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan, and others). This was the time (1939 to 1945) when the phrase “piece of cake” really catched on in America (as mentioned above). In this case, American soldiers catching up the phrase from their British colleagues and putting the newly learned phrase to use could very well be supposed.

‘Piece of Cake’ Alternative

The phrase “piece of cake” has several alternatives, not just in terms of the meaning, but also in terms of the bakery symbols.

1. Cakewalk

As mentioned, the term “cakewalk” is used to describe an effortless task. If you have a sweet tooth, you can alternate between “a piece of cake” and “cakewalk” to satisfy your sugar cravings. For example: “Playing football is a cakewalk for me.”

2. As easy as a pie

“As easy as a pie” can be used interchangeably with “piece of cake” since it also means that something is easy while comparing the task to yet another delicious bakery item — pie :D. Now, whether you want to compare something easy to a cake or a pie is entirely up to your food preference.

3. Snack

“Snack.” This lightweight Australian slang is used to describe an easy-to-perform task. For example, you could say, “Playing guitar is a snack for him.” The term is broad, both in terms of meanings and the choice of food, so remember to look up its other meanings before using it.

‘Piece of Cake’ Variation: ‘Piece of Piss’

"Piece of piss" is a colloquial and vulgar British slang that means something is easy to do. While its exact origin is unclear, it’s considered as an evolution and a variation of the original "piece of cake" phrase, which also means something effortless.

The phrase was likely coined in the mid-20th century, particularly in British slang, where vulgar or irreverent expressions are oft-used for emphasis or humor, making it a potentially offensive phrase to use. That’s why it's mostly used in casual settings.

How to Use ‘Piece of Cake’

Using “piece of cake” in a sentence is… a piece of cake. You can use it when talking about something easy to accomplish for yourself or anyone you’re talking about. For example: “I think walking a mile should be a piece of cake for most people.”

Using The Indefinite Article ‘a’

Remember to put the indefinite article “a” before “piece of cake” unless you use “piece of cake” as a standalone expression, exclamation, or interjection. For example: “Running a mile? Piece of cake!” Otherwise: “Running a mile is a piece of cake!”

‘Piece of Cake’ Examples

Following are some more examples of the phrase:

• “My cousin thinks giving a speech is a piece of cake.”

• “I love math as it’s a piece of cake.”

• “Seems like drawing is a piece of cake for you.”

• “Baking a cake is actually not a piece of cake.”

• "Special. Very hush-hush. Not exactly a piece of cake, I believe." — From Flare Path, a play by Terence Rattigan (1942).

Conclusion

“Piece of cake” is an idiomatic phrase that means “an easy task.” It is similar to saying something is as easy as a pie or a cakewalk. While the exact origin of the phrase is unknown, it is widely considered an American expression and is supposed to have evolved from the Afro-American slaves’ tradition of cakewalk — a dance to mock the white slave owners — and later came to be used to describe something easy or effortless."