cakewalk en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
From cake + walk. Originally an African-American form of dance and music that developed after the Civil War, later popularised by minstrel shows. It was danced at social events, with the best dancers often receiving cake as a prize. It derives from dance competitions by plantation slaves in which the style of dance lampooned the ballroom dances of the slaveowners. Slaveowners seem to have found the competitions entertaining and the habit of offering cake may originate from this period. The name is sometimes also applied to the dance's precursor on the plantations. Doing the cakewalk well required virtuosity, and a major aesthetic aspect of that virtuosity was the apparent ease with which the dance was performed. This gave rise to the idiom as easy as a cakewalk, which in turn led to the sense of cakewalk as something that is easy. See the linked Wikipedia article for more.
Meanings
- (historical) A contest in which cake was offered for the best dancers.
- The style of music associated with such a contest.
- (qualifier:performing arts) The dance, or strutting style of dance, associated with such a contest.
-
(idiomatic, informal) Something that is easy or simple, or that does not present a great challenge.
Nah. The first step’s a cakewalk. We can beat the hell out of a developing infant, in any case.
1995, Richard Powers, Galatea 2.2, New York, N.Y.: Farrar Straus Giroux, →ISBN, page 88:Just as common as she is, a cakewalk sort of a name.
1899, Willa Cather, The Westbound Train:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| cakewalks | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Descendants
Synonyms
piece of piss · walkover · cinch · cake and gingerbread · piece of cake · bagatelle · child's play · open and shut case · doddle · gimme · cakewalk · doss · duck soup · easy pickings · snap · no-brainer · picnic · plane sailing · breeze · walk in the park · waltz · slam dunk · plain sailing · low-hanging fruit · layup
Translations (9)
es pan comido (something easy) · es bolado (something easy) · sv barnlek (something easy) · sv baggis (something easy) · mk боза (something easy) · pt pera doce (something easy) · sv lekverk (something easy) · es chanfa (something easy) · pl betka (something easy)