take the cake

idiomatic phrase

variants chiefly US take the cake or British take the biscuit

informal

: to win the prize : to rank first

While it didn't take the cake for the warmest Christmas on record, it was close.

—Krista McEnany

—typically used to describe something that is very surprising, foolish, remarkable, annoying, etc.

There have been doozies in the flurry of free-agent signings … but the Giants' acquisition of quarterback Kerry Collins takes the cake.

—Peter King

Of all the invasions of her privacy, this one took the cake.

—Richard Peck

When he was quite sure that the narrative had ended he laughed noiselessly for fully half a minute. Then he said: "Well! … That takes the biscuit!"

—James Joyce

Examples of take the cake in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cuisinart Food Processor 14-Cup Vegetable Chopper $250 $189 Amazon $250 $200 Cuisinart KitchenAid Tilt-Head Stand Mixer If Vitamix reigns supreme in the blender space, then KitchenAid takes the cake for stand mixers. —Tiffany Hopkins, Bon Appétit, 28 Nov. 2024

But Aspen-Snowmass takes the cake for its easy access to four fantastic mountains (Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass), live music options, and many excellent restaurants. —Elise Taylor, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2024

A lot of headlines came out of that one, but comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s comments about Puerto Rico may take the cake. —Alena Botros, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2024

Love Is Blind reunions are notoriously messy, but on Wednesday night, season seven’s postseason debrief took the cake and added a few metal goblets of wine for good measure. —Laura Bradley, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined above