What does “icing on the cake” mean?

143628 Views 22/03/2023 0 comments Posted By: Emmanuel Poulet-Harmel In: Blog of gourmets

The icing on the cake is what ends something in style.

The meaning of this expression is very clear. Indeed the icing on the cake is a decorative supplement which aims to make it even more appetizing.

In  everyday life is the little detail that ends something in style. For example, in the business world, this can translate into a good argument or a discount giving an advantage.

However, someone who tells you “well that's the icing on the cake” then uses the expression in its ironic form to express “well that's the height (or the bouquet)! » …. this pastry metaphor can therefore, depending on the context, have a positive or negative connotation.

According to Alain Rey, in his dictionary of expressions, it would be the translation of English “the cherry on the cake” or, in the United States, of “the cherry on the sundae”.