This phrase is most commonly used to point out that something is really easy or easy to accomplish. It’s a piece of cake!
The origin of this idiom dates back to 1800s when cakes were given out as prizes for winning competitions. Unlike most bizarre idioms, this one probably originates in the United States. Slaves in the Southern-American families used to enter competitions during which they circled around a cake at a gathering and danced in pairs, imitating the mannerism of their masters, and the most “graceful” couple would win the cake in the middle.
Examples of use in a sentence:
- “Skiing may look difficult at first, but it’s a piece of cake once you know what you’re doing.”
- “This puzzle was a piece of cake!”
Idioms with the same / similar meaning:
- as easy as pie
- a cake-walk