In this mini episode, you will learn how to use the interesting expression “the icing on the cake.”
Episode 267 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the interesting expression “the icing on the cake.” Send your questions about English and your suggestions for future episodes to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hi! This is Farah Namira, from Indonesia. And you are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 267 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts, on the Stitcher app, and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to everybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let’s get on with this mini episode.
The episode
I am going to teach you an interesting expression today. And that expression is “the icing on the cake.” The icing on the cake. That’s icing: i-c-i-n-g, on, the, cake: c-a-k-e. The icing on the cake.
What does it mean if we describe something as the icing on the cake? Before I can explain this expression, I need to explain the word icing.
Have you ever heard the word icing before? If you haven’t, you have probably heard another word that means the same thing. And that other word is frosting. Frosting: f-r-o-s-t-i-n-g. Icing and frosting. This is the stuff that goes on the outside of a cake. Or you might see frosting or icing on top of a cupcake. It’s that thick, sweet stuff that is spread on top of a cake.
When we describe something as “the icing on the cake,” we are saying that it is a detail that makes a good thing even better. It’s something that makes a good thing or a good situation better than it was before. And if you think about the word icing, maybe you can see why this expression means that. Because cake is already a good thing. Cake is good. Cake is delicious. Everybody loves to eat cake. But if you put icing on top of the cake, then it’s even better. You have taken something good, and you have made it even better. It is even more sweet and delicious.
Let me give you an example of a situation where we might use the expression “the icing on the cake.”
“She was very happy about her new apartment. And the fact that her best friend lived in the same apartment building was the icing on the cake.”
In other words, she was very happy about her apartment. Maybe it was a nice, big, sunny apartment. But there was something that made this apartment even better. And that was the fact that her friend lived in the same apartment building.
So that was the icing on the cake. The fact that her friend lived in the same apartment building was the icing on the cake. It was a detail that made something good even better.
And that is “the icing on the cake,” a very useful expression that I think you should know.
Outro
And this is the end of episode 267 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments or suggestions for the podcast, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Farah Namira recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to everybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode, and until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. Goodbye! I’ll see you soon.