Dumbass Saying: “Icing on the Cake”

Sometimes you hear people say things like “The most important thing to me was saving those dogs from being killed in the tornado. Meeting Oprah was just the icing on the cake.” When people say “icing on the cake” they’re referring to something extra that’s nice, but not their primary motivation or interest. I have a feeling the people who say this are severely underestimating the value of icing. What is a cake without icing? No one ever eats a cake without icing. Unless you’re talking about a pound cake or something, most of the time a cake needs icing. The next time you have a birthday party for someone make them a cake without icing and check out the look on their face. A cake without icing is just a block of sweet bread. It’s like a pizza without cheese; it’s only one item, but it’s fairly critical to the enjoyment of the food product. So no, an extra benefit that just pops up in life isn’t “just icing on the cake” it’s more like a special message written on the cake with a piping bag. Writing on a cake isn’t extremely critical to the enjoyment of said cake. It’s a nice added touch and that would be the proper analogy to make.

Don't you dare underestimate the power of icing.