Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[ever4one]

What does being the cake topper on the cake mean ?

Will somebody please tell me what it means ?

[bud]

Hi Ever4one,

I don't know, but here's a guess. A topper on a cake is a decoration, usually inedible, that is placed on the top (of course) of the cake. They are most common on a wedding cake. Usually it is a figurine of a bride and groom, and a wedding cake would not be complete without that decoration.

So a cake topper, as an expression, is probably referring to something that makes something else "complete" (in other words, it makes "the something else" the best that it can possibly be).

Just guessing, but I hope it helps.

[LucentShade]

I'm going to make a guess about this expression:
Perhaps you are asking about the phrase "the icing on the cake." This refers to some extra benefit that makes a good thing better. This is a metaphor from food--a cake is always good thing to eat, but when we put icing (a sweet covering that is high in sugar) on it, the cake becomes even better. Some examples:


"He liked the job because it was fun. The high pay was the icing on the cake." --> "He" already liked the job. The fact that he receives a lot of money is an extra, secondary bonus.

"I really love my girlfriend, but the icing on the cake is that she likes watching 1930's movies with me."
The girlfriend is the main "good thing" here. It is even better that she shares this common interest of movies from the 1930's.