Idiom
cherry on top
Meaning
Synonym of icing on the cake (“a thing which intensifies the appreciation of something already good, or (ironic) the regretting of something already bad”).
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The sunny weather was the cherry on top of our perfect vacation.”
“Getting a free dessert is the cherry on top of this meal.”
“Your kind words are the cherry on top of my success.”
“Winning the game was great, but the trophy ceremony was the cherry on top.”
“The dinner was delicious, but having a live band play our favorite song was the cherry on top of the evening.”
“I already missed my bus, so the heavy rain starting was the ironic cherry on top of a terrible day.”
“After months of hard work, receiving the promotion was satisfying, but the unexpected bonus served as the cherry on top.”
Examples
simple
“The sunny weather was the cherry on top of our perfect vacation.”
“Getting a free dessert is the cherry on top of this meal.”
“Your kind words are the cherry on top of my success.”
contextual
“Winning the game was great, but the trophy ceremony was the cherry on top.”
“The dinner was delicious, but having a live band play our favorite song was the cherry on top of the evening.”
“I already missed my bus, so the heavy rain starting was the ironic cherry on top of a terrible day.”
complex
“After months of hard work, receiving the promotion was satisfying, but the unexpected bonus served as the cherry on top.”
Origin
Attested in the early 20th century, the phrase serves as a metaphorical allusion to the placement of a single glazed or maraschino cherry upon a cake or sundae. It follows the earlier 19th-century usage of a cherry on a custard to denote a final, decorative flourish that completes an arrangement.
Key words
Related idioms
- Updated