A piece of cake

It's a piece of cake. That will be a piece of cake.

This refers to something that is easy.

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Sometimes people say "Piece of cake" as a whole sentence, without the "a", but if any other words come before the phrase,you should use the "a".

Can you do all of these things?

Sure. Piece of cake.

"It's a" is implied.

"It's piece of cake" would be wrong because you need an "a".

Sometimes people use even shorter ways of saying it.

It's cake. Cake.

In this case we use no "a". It is not a cake (a whole cake), it is the substance,the uncountable noun, cake. English uses the same word for both. The countable "piece of cake" is like the countabe "easy task", and the uncountable "cake" is like the uncountable "easy work".

This usage is very casual.

Sometimes other words are added in. One very casual example would be the following.

It's total cake.

This means it is very easy, or even extremely easy. It seems like slang.

"Cake" is also used as an adjective in slang.

It's a cake job.

It's an easy job.

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Back and forth (also "wearing a hole in the carpet", and "around and around")

I keep going back and forth. She's going back and forth. He will be running back and forth.

As used here, back means backward and forth means foreward.

This phrase can have a few meanings. In the sentences above, it refers to going from one place to another and then returning, usually repeating the process a time or two, or maybe many more. By adding "keep" (or, in some sentences, the word, "keeps"), we have a sentence that conveys a feeling that it is continuous, or that it may be annoying, frustrating, or a little too much. Maybe it is becoming tedious.

Some people also walk back and forth when they are thinking. This is sometimes refered to as pacing, but pacing has other meanings, too. People also pace when worried or waiting for something. No matter what the reason is, if a person is pacing a lot, or very quickly, someone may say, "You are wearing a hole in the carpet." Wear, as used in this sentence, means to erode or cause deterioration.

Our phrase can also be used metaphorically.

I need him to make a decision, but he keeps going back and forth.

He is not moving from one place to another, but from one idea to another.

It can also be used to refer to an argument or disagreement.

They keep going back and forth. They keep going back and forth about it.

One person supports one idea and the other person supports the other, so they are pushing in opposite directions: back, and forth. This can also be refered to as going around and around. This refers to a prolonged discussion that is some kind of argument or disagreement. It is like walking in circles. Sometimes you walk and walk but never really get anywhere. Refering to an argument this way may make people think that you are impatient, so use it carefully. Both "back and forth" and "around and around" are often, but not always, used when people are frustrated.

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Cat got your tongue?

Cat got your tongue? Has the cat got your tongue? The cat's got my tongue. The cat has my tongue.

This common idiom refers to a situation when you cannot think of the word or name you want, even though you know it very well.

"He's at..um...oh, I can't remember the name of it! The cat has my tongue. I'll think of it in a second. I go there all the time."

It can also be used to refer to a general inabilty to express thoughts clearly.

It is also used rhetorically when someone is expected to speak, reply, or respond, but does not, or when the response is started, but is a choppy, stumbling response that never finishes. ("It's a very- I think- well he never- well, I mean, if you- I don't really-") This person has started several sentences but can't seem to decide what to say.

What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?

This rhetorical usage can be a friendly joke, or very confrontational, so use it carefully. Tone of voice, the speaker's relationship with the other person, and the situation can help make the meaning more clear.

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