make a cake (2024)

Hi!

Is there such an idiom "to make a cake of oneself"? I've faild to find anything like that in the dictionary. Coulf you please explain what it means in the following context:

"An assembly will be wonderfully exciting. Even a little frightening. I have never been to any such thing."
"Of course you have not. But you danced at the school forever demonstrating steps for the girls. Now you will be able to put you skills to work at a real dance. And you need not be afraid that you will make a cake of yourself and everyone notice."

Thank you in advance for your help

"To make a fool of yourself" in the context of your text.

"to make a cake" in this context reads very odd to me!

Hi Masha*,

Could you tell us where this text came from?

I've never heard the expression, but judging from the (small number of) google hits for "make a cake of yourself" it seems to be a staple of historical - especially Regency - fiction.

And yes, the meaning does seem to be "make a fool of yourself".

cycloneviv said:

Hi Masha*,

Could you tell us where this text came from?

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Cycloneviv, I am awfully sorry for the delay (I did not have Internet access)!
The text in question comes from "Simply Magic" by Mary Balogh.

Hi again Masha*

Since Mary Balogh writes historical romances, her use of "make a cake of yourself" would appear to be part of the conventions of that genre: see my earlier post.

Though the meaning seems clear, I would recommend against using the expression - unless, of course, you're a writer of historical romances

I would have had no idea how to pronounce Balogh - but I found this on her website:

Balogh is a Hungarian name. The a is short, the h best ignored. My husband tells people to rhyme our name with Kellogg's Corn Flakes. I tell them that as long as people are saying my name, I don't much care how they pronounce it!

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