James Baquet

    At first glance, today’s expression — “You can’t have your cake and eat it too” — doesn’t seem to make sense. Of course you have to have a cake if you’re going to eat it!

    But the meaning is more like, “You can’t eat your cake, and still have it afterward.” In other words, to “have it both ways.”

    The essential idea is that when we make a decision to do one thing, it often excludes the possibility of doing some others. Let’s see how it works in dialogue.

    James sees his student, a boy named Lee, reading the newspaper.

    James: Hey, Lee. What’s up?

    Lee: Oh, hi, James. Just scanning the old want ads.

    James: Really? Looking for gainful employment?

    Lee: Yeah. You know, school’s all right and everything, but I’m chompin’ at the bit to get out there and make some moolah.

    James: First things first, bud. You can’t be rakin’ in the dough and carrying a full load at the same time.

    Lee: I know. But I want to have my cake AND eat it.

    James: You’ve heard that “when one door closes another opens?

    Lee: Yeah...?

    James: Well, the opposite’s also true. When one door opens, another closes.

    Lee: Wha?

    James: For example, when you finally find that one girl, and marry her, that closes the door on all the other eligible bachelorettes, right?

    Lee: So?

    James: So when you dedicate yourself to one thing — school, say — you can’t really dive into another thing whole hog. Why not be a part-time barista for a while, and worry about knockin’ down the big bucks later?

    Lee: I’ll think about it.

    James: Atta boy!

    Notes on the dialogue:

    — Want ads: Classified advertisements in the newspaper advising people of jobs offered.

    — Gainful employment: A “jokey” way to talk about a job.

    — To chomp at the bit: (Also “champ at the bit”) to be eager to do something; from the image of a horse chewing on his bit when he wants to run but his rider wants him to walk.

    — Moolah: A slang term for money.

    — First things first: A proverbial expression advising one to set and follow sensible priorities.

    — To rake in the dough: To make a lot of money.

    — To carry a full load: To be in school full-time.

    — Wha?: A jokey way to say “Pardon?”

    — That one girl: Plays on the assumption that there’s one special “someone” for everyone.

    — Eligible bachelorettes: A twist on the expression “eligible bachelor,” meaning a single person whom it would be desirable to marry.

    — To dive into something whole hog: To enter into something without reservation; to do it completely.

    — A barista: One who makes coffee at a “coffee bar.”

    — To knock down the big bucks: Another way to say “to make a lot of money.”