That takes the cake!

That takes the cake!

 
1. Inf. That is good, and it wins the prize! (Assuming that the prize is a cake.) "What a performance!" cheered John. "That takes the cake!" Sue: Wow! That takes the cake! What a dive! Rachel: She sure can dive!
2. Inf. That is too much; That does it! Bob: What a dumb thing to do, Fred! Erik: Yeah, Fred. That takes the cake! Bob: Wow! That takes the cake! Bill: What is it? Bob: That stupid driver in front of me just hit the car on the left and then swung over and hit the car on the right.
See also: take, that
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • frosting/icing on the cake, the
  • a piece of cake
  • be a piece of cake
  • piece of cake
  • piece of cake, it's a
  • getting there is half the fun
  • yellow cake
  • easy as A, B, C
  • berries
  • half the fun of (something)
References in periodicals archive
THAT TAKES THE CAKE! WE HAD AN EMPLOYEE FAKE AN ACCIDENT ONCE--HE BROKE HIS FOOT ONE MORNING--HE CAME TO WORK THAT SAME MORNING--DROPPED A FIVE GALLON CAN OF COOKING OIL ON IT AND FILED FOR WORKER'S COMPENSATION--
Mister Oswald