English with Jo

To have your cake and eat it too

If someone wants to 'have their cake and eat it too', they want everything their way. It sometimes suggests that someone is not willing to compromise even when conflicts exist.

Examples: I worked at home so I could raise my family and still earn money. It let me have my cake and eat it too.

This idiom is often used in the negative: 'you can't have your cake and eat it too'

Example: If you want a senior consultant to work here, you must pay the salary she demands. You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

Similar idiom: An idiom with a similar meaning is: 'You can't have it both ways'.