piece of cake
/ˈpiːsə(v)ˈkeɪk/ noun
Forms pieces of cake
- noun (idiomatic) A job, task or other activity that is pleasant or, by extension, easy or simple. “Sure, no problem. It'll be a piece of cake.”
- noun Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see piece, cake.
Synonyms
breeze cakewalk child's play cinch doddle duck soup walk in the park walkover bagatelle waltz cake and gingerbread doss easy pickings gimme layup low-hanging fruit no-brainer open and shut case picnic piece of piss snap pushover
Etymology
Attested since 1936, originally in American English. Possibly from cakewalk, or the notion of facility that derives from many cakes having agreeable tastes, and hence being ‘easy’ to consume. Compare French être du gâteau (literally “to be a cake”), être de la tarte (literally “to be a pie”), both meaning "to be easy, to be a piece of cake".
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “piece of cake”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details