That takes the biscuit! (U.S. That takes the cake!)
idiomatic phrase

- to be especially annoying, surprising, etc., or to be the worst or best of its kind

- if someone has done something very stupid, rude, or selfish, you can say that they take the biscuit

Cambridge Dictionary, Collins Dictionary

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The earliest documented instance of “take the biscuit” is from the Morning Star (Wilmington, North Carolina) dated August 2, 1879. “A Louisville reporter speaks of his town as ‘the pure city before which the Ohio river crouches and plays its music through the Falls and hurries on’. This, it strikes us, rather takes the biscuit.”

The phrase likely originates from childhood contests where the winner's prize is a cake or biscuit.

Interestingly, the meaning has evolved over time. Originally, "take the biscuit" meant winning or excelling, however, in modern usage, particularly in British English, it typically has a negative connotation, referring to "the most extreme example of something stupid or bad”.

The phrase became established in British English by the early 20th century, with a 1925 letter by P.G. Wodehouse using it in the now-common negative sense: "Of all the poisonous, foul, ghastly places, Cannes takes the biscuit with absurd ease."

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AROUND THE WORLD

How different cultures express "That takes the biscuit!"

Translation generated by AI and cross-checked

Arabic:
هذا القشة التي قصمت ظهر البعير
Hatha al-qasha alati qasamat thahr al-ba'ir
(This is the straw that broke the camel's back)

Chinese:
这真是岂有此理
Zhè zhēn shì qǐ yǒu cǐ lǐ
(How can there be such a principle/reason?)

French:
La goutte d'eau qui fait déborder le vase
(The drop of water that makes the vase overflow)

German:
Das schlägt dem Fass den Boden aus
(That knocks the bottom out of the barrel)

Hindi:
यह तो हद हो गई
Yeh toh had ho gayi
(This has crossed all limits)

Italian:
È la ciliegina sulla torta
(It's the cherry on the cake – meant sarcastically)

Japanese:
ありえない!
Arienai!
(Impossible!)

Russian:
Это уже ни в какие ворота не лезет
Eto uzhe ni v kakiye vorota ne lezet
(This doesn't fit through any gates anymore)

Swedish:
Det var droppen
(That was the drop)

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SYNONYMS

a bit much, absurd beyond belief, adds insult to injury, as bad as it gets, atrocious, away with the fairies, be bananas (barking, crackers, in la la land, the final/last straw, the limit), beggars belief, beyond a joke, bottom of the barrel, breaks the camel's back, crackers, crosses the line, crowning insult, defies belief (logic), egregious, flabbergasting, flip my lid, flips my lid, floored me, for crying out loud, for pete's sake, get my goat, get a load of that, gets my goat, give me a turn, gives me a turn, go beyond the pale, go too far, gobsmacking, hits a new low, hogwash, how dare they, jaw-dropping, just my luck, knock me sideways, knocks the bottom out of the barrel, last straw, not on, off the charts, oh come on, over the top, plumbs new depths, puts everything else in the shade, really takes the cake, sets me off, TAKES THE BISCUIT, takes the cake (the gold, the prize, the top spot, the trophy, that beats everything (caps it, does it, tops it all), that's a bit much (a good one, rich, the best yet, the last straw, the absolute limit, the worst, tops everything/it all), unbelievable, unconscionable, what a cheek (a nerve), you can't be serious (have got to be kidding, must be joking)

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation today, say something like:

“I've received some ridiculous spam messages in my time, but this one really TAKES THE BISCUIT!"

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THANKS to Felicity for suggesting today's OWAD.

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