See take the cake on Wiktionary
Download JSON data for take the cake meaning in All languages combined (4.8kB)
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "1870"
},
"expansion": "circa 1870",
"name": "circa2"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Attested since circa 1870. Originally used in reference to the winners of cake walk competitions in black communities of the southern USA in the 19th and early 20th centuries, who were said to have \"taken the cake\", which was oftentimes the prize.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "takes the cake",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "taking the cake",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "took the cake",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "taken the cake",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "take<,,took,taken> the cake"
},
"expansion": "take the cake (third-person singular simple present takes the cake, present participle taking the cake, simple past took the cake, past participle taken the cake)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "American English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
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"Entry maintenance"
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"source": "w"
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{
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},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English light verb constructions",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"parents": [
"Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Thanks! You guys take the cake."
},
{
"text": "Once the party was over, everyone agreed that Elizabeth and her Harriet Tubman getup had taken the cake."
},
{
"text": "I've seen bad grammar, but this takes the cake."
}
],
"glosses": [
"Used as an affirmation or accolade when one is deemed the top position in a comparison or contest; to win or be the best (at)."
],
"id": "en-take_the_cake-en-verb-N2dhdW~c",
"links": [
[
"win",
"win"
],
[
"best",
"best"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic, colloquial, chiefly US) Used as an affirmation or accolade when one is deemed the top position in a comparison or contest; to win or be the best (at)."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"sense": "to be good or outstanding",
"word": "steal the show"
},
{
"sense": "to be particularly bad or egregious",
"tags": [
"British"
],
"word": "take the biscuit"
}
],
"tags": [
"US",
"colloquial",
"idiomatic"
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"word": "de kroon spannen"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"word": "viedä voitto"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"word": "den Vogel abschießen"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"word": "elviszi a pálmát"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"word": "taka öllu fram"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"word": "hljóta fyrstu verðlaun"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "odstawać"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "odstać"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"word": "llevarse la palma"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"word": "ta priset"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "to be especially bad",
"word": "de kroon spannen"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to be especially bad",
"word": "olla pohjanoteeraus"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to be especially bad",
"word": "viedä voitto"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to be especially bad",
"word": "den Vogel abschießen"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to be especially bad",
"word": "nicht mehr zu toppen sein"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to be especially bad",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "odstawać"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to be especially bad",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "odstać"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to be especially bad",
"word": "ta priset"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-take the cake.wav",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e5/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-take_the_cake.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-take_the_cake.wav.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e5/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-take_the_cake.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-take_the_cake.wav.ogg",
"tags": [
"US"
],
"text": "Audio (US)"
}
],
"word": "take the cake"
}
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "1870"
},
"expansion": "circa 1870",
"name": "circa2"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Attested since circa 1870. Originally used in reference to the winners of cake walk competitions in black communities of the southern USA in the 19th and early 20th centuries, who were said to have \"taken the cake\", which was oftentimes the prize.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "takes the cake",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "taking the cake",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "took the cake",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "taken the cake",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "take<,,took,taken> the cake"
},
"expansion": "take the cake (third-person singular simple present takes the cake, present participle taking the cake, simple past took the cake, past participle taken the cake)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"American English",
"English colloquialisms",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
"English idioms",
"English lemmas",
"English light verb constructions",
"English multiword terms",
"English rhyming phrases",
"English terms with audio links",
"English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"English verbs"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Thanks! You guys take the cake."
},
{
"text": "Once the party was over, everyone agreed that Elizabeth and her Harriet Tubman getup had taken the cake."
},
{
"text": "I've seen bad grammar, but this takes the cake."
}
],
"glosses": [
"Used as an affirmation or accolade when one is deemed the top position in a comparison or contest; to win or be the best (at)."
],
"links": [
[
"win",
"win"
],
[
"best",
"best"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic, colloquial, chiefly US) Used as an affirmation or accolade when one is deemed the top position in a comparison or contest; to win or be the best (at)."
],
"tags": [
"US",
"colloquial",
"idiomatic"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-take the cake.wav",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e5/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-take_the_cake.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-take_the_cake.wav.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e5/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-take_the_cake.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-take_the_cake.wav.ogg",
"tags": [
"US"
],
"text": "Audio (US)"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"sense": "to be good or outstanding",
"word": "steal the show"
},
{
"sense": "to be particularly bad or egregious",
"tags": [
"British"
],
"word": "take the biscuit"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"word": "de kroon spannen"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"word": "viedä voitto"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"word": "den Vogel abschießen"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"word": "elviszi a pálmát"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"word": "taka öllu fram"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"word": "hljóta fyrstu verðlaun"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "odstawać"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "odstać"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"word": "llevarse la palma"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to be especially good",
"word": "ta priset"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "to be especially bad",
"word": "de kroon spannen"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to be especially bad",
"word": "olla pohjanoteeraus"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to be especially bad",
"word": "viedä voitto"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to be especially bad",
"word": "den Vogel abschießen"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to be especially bad",
"word": "nicht mehr zu toppen sein"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to be especially bad",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "odstawać"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to be especially bad",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "odstać"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to be especially bad",
"word": "ta priset"
}
],
"word": "take the cake"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-10 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (a644e18 and edd475d). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.