|
Reader question: What does this headline - Who took the cake in BCC competition – mean? My comments: The winner took it. He who won the competition took the cake. And the “cake” might be a metaphor, i.e. there may be no real cake to be awarded in this particular event. Whoever “took the cake” won the BBC competition. That’s all. But let me explain. “Take the cake” is an American idiom whose origin goes way back to plantation-era American South. “Cake” refers to “cakewalk”, a form of dance performed by slaves when work was slack and when they had the mood to entertain themselves and their white owners. It was called “walk” instead of “dance” because, presumably, “walk” sounds awkward and hence inferior to “dance”, which is elegant and was monopolized by the white folks. Indeed, “cakewalk” was originally a direct copy of dancing in the ballroom – slaves saw their white master couples swoon and tried to imitate their moves. At first, these imitations might have looked a bit awkward, but eventually black beauty shone through and even their white owners began to enjoy their “walk”. And that’s when “cake” came into play. After a dancing party, the slave owner is said to have often awarded a piece of cake to the couple who had the best walk. The winning couple hence, literally, “took the cake”. Overtime, “take the cake” became synonymous with being the best of the bunch. However, this expression is often used sarcastically today to express that one is surprised, incredulous and amazed at some poor performance or situation. To say something “really take the cake” means that the situation cannot get any worse. | 
