let them eat cake en · X
Pronunciation
- /let ˌðem iːt kæɪ̯k/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /-ðəm-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /-ðʌm-/ (Scotland)
- /-ðəm-/ (Canada, General-American)
- /lɛt ˌðɛm it keɪ̯k/ (Canada, General-American)
- /let ˌðem iːt keɪ̯k/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /-ðəm-/ (Scotland)
- lĕt thĕm′ ēt kāk
- /lɛ(ː)ʈ ˌðɛ(ː)m iːʈ keːk/ (India)
- /lɛt ˌðɛm it kek/ (Scotland)
- /-ðem-/ (India)
- -thəm-
- /lɛt ˌðɛm iːt keɪ̯k/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /-ðəm-/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
Etymology
Calque of French qu'ils mangent de la brioche. Incorrectly attributed to the last Queen of France prior to the French Revolution Marie Antoinette (1755–1793), the phrase actually originates from Confessions (Rousseau).
Meanings
- (idiomatic) Used to express a profound disconnect between the elite and the unprivileged or underprivileged, suggesting a callous indifference or detachment to their suffering.
Relateds
Mad Max · nasty, brutish, and short · social safety net
Translations (3)
pl niech jedzą ciastka (Translations) · fr qu'ils mangent de la brioche (Translations) · eo lasu ilin manĝi brioĉon (Translations)
wikipedia: Jean-Jacques Rousseau · wikipedia: Confessions (Rousseau)