In recent months I ‘ve heard many sitcoms and dramedies use the phrase cakewalk. As someone who is familiar with the term ‘piece of cake’ I wondered how the word ‘cake’ found its allegiance with a ‘walk’. After some extensive research, I now know why.

The phrase “piece of cake” is an idiom that means something is easy to do. The origin of the phrase is debated, but the most common theory is that it comes from the cakewalk, a dance that was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In a cakewalk, couples would compete to win a cake as a prize. The dance was considered easy, so the phrase “piece of cake” came to be associated with anything easy.

Putting on the icing

The cakewalk was actually a dance that originated in the American South among enslaved people. It was a form of social commentary, as the dancers would mimic the formal dances of their masters. The cakewalk was also a way for enslaved people to win prizes, such as cakes.

It is possible that the phrase “piece of cake” originated in the American South, where it would have been associated with the cakewalk. However, the phrase did not become popular until the early 20th century, when it was used in a poem by Ogden Nash. Nash’s poem, “Primrose Path,” helped to popularise the phrase and make it a common idiom.

The phrase “piece of cake” is now used to describe anything easy, regardless of whether it is related to the cakewalk.

Now as I write the last word, I am reminded of the idiom ‘a walk in the park’.

Clearly ‘cake’ and ‘walk’ have a sense of ease around them.

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