le beurre et l'argent du beurre

French

Alternative forms

Etymology

Literally, “the butter and the money from [selling] the butter”.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /lə bœ.ʁ‿e l‿aʁ.ʒɑ̃ dy bœʁ/

Noun

le beurre et l’argent du beurre m (uncountable)

  1. two mutually exclusive things, such that one can only choose one over another
    Tu ne peux pas avoir le beurre et l’argent du beurre. ― You can't have your cake and eat it too.

Usage notes

While the French expression is used mostly with avoir and vouloir, a variety of construction with verbs such as obtenir or garder are possible, unlike in English.

See also

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