TAKE THE CAKE

{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To take the first prize; be the best; rank first. * /Mr. Jones takes the cake as a storyteller./ 2. To be the limit; to be the worst; have a lot of nerve; be a very rude, bold, or surprising action. * /I let Jack borrow my baseball and he never gave it back. Doesn't that take the cake?/ * /For being absent-minded, Mr. Smith takes the cake./ Compare: BEAT ALL.