Meaning & use
a piece of cake
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiominformal
Something that is very easy to do.
Grammar: Used after 'be' or 'seem': The test was a piece of cake. Not used with 'a' before it in the same way as a normal noun.
Patterns
- be a piece of cake
- seem a piece of cake
The exam was a piece of cake; I finished in ten minutes.
Learning to ride a bike was a piece of cake for her.
Don't worry about the interview—it'll be a piece of cake.
phrasefixed phrase
A slice of cake, literally.
Grammar: This is the literal meaning; usually you say 'a piece of cake' when you really mean a slice.
Patterns
- a piece of cake
Would you like a piece of cake with your tea?
She cut a piece of cake for each child.
Common combinations
- be a piece of cake
- The driving test was a piece of cake.
- seem a piece of cake
- At first the job seemed a piece of cake.
- a piece of cake for someone
- Solving the puzzle was a piece of cake for him.
Synonyms and how they differ
- easy
- Easy is the ordinary adjective; a piece of cake is the informal idiom.
- child's play
- Child's play is another idiom for something very easy, often slightly more formal.
- no sweat
- No sweat is informal and can also mean 'no problem'; it is less common in formal writing.
Opposites
Commonly confused: a piece of cake or piece of cake?
a piece of cake vs piece of cake
Literal meaning is a slice of cake; the idiom means something easy.
Practice
What does 'The test was a piece of cake' mean?
Choose one answer.
'A piece of cake' is an idiom meaning 'very easy'. It does not mean the test was about cake or that it was hard.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a piece of cake”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.