eat one's cake and have it, too

To have or do two things that one desires that are normally contradictory or impossible to have or do simultaneously. Because "have" can also mean "eat," this expression may seem redundant. However, it is based on the meaning of "have" as "to possess," i.e., to maintain possession of one's cake while still eating it, an obvious impossibility. The phrase is often reversed: "have one's cake and eat it (too)." You're never going to save enough money to buy a house if you keep buying expensive appliances and cars. You can't eat your cake and have it, too. Too many people want to eat their cake and have it, demanding all sorts of social benefits from the government but being unwilling to pay any taxes to fund them.

Also, have one's cake and eat it, too. Have a dual benefit, consume something and still possess it, as in Doug was engaged to Ann and still dating Jane; he was trying to eat his cake and have it, too . This metaphoric expression is often put negatively, as it already was in John Heywood's proverb collection of 1546: "You cannot eat your cake and have your cake."