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REFERENCE

icing on the cake

idiom
Meaning

A thing which intensifies the appreciation of something already good, or (ironic) the regretting of something already bad.


Examples
SIMPLE

Winning the game was great, and the trophy was the icing on the cake.

CONTEXTUAL

I loved the new job offer, but the generous relocation bonus was the real icing on the cake.

COMPLEX

The promotion was a significant career milestone, yet the unexpected invitation to lead the international project served as the perfect icing on the cake.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    cake and gingerbread

    An easy or pleasant task or experience; a piece of cake.

  2. 02

    cake crumbs

    Hardly anything.

  3. 03

    cake walk

    Something extremely easy.

  4. 04

    eat one's cake and have it too

    Alternative form of have one's cake and eat it too.

  5. 05

    give and take

    [Cockney slang]cake

  6. 06

    have one's cake and eat it too

    To benefit by having two things which are mutually incompatible (such as eating a piece of cake and yet still possessing that piece for future use).

  7. 07

    let them eat cake

    Used to express a profound disconnect between the elite and the unprivileged or underprivileged, suggesting a callous indifference or detachment to their suffering.

  8. 08

    one's cake is dough

    One's actions have failed to achieve any success or make any progress.

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