# one's cake is dough

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/ones-cake-is-dough
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

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

## Examples

- My plans failed and now my cake is dough.
- After the investors pulled their funding at the last minute, the startup founder realized his cake was dough.
- Despite his elaborate schemes to secure the promotion, the sudden restructuring of the company meant that his cake was dough.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.