Let Them Eat Cake
Meaning
Those in a disadvantaged position should eat the worst of the food.
Example
Marie Antoinette told the Paris proletariat that they should eat cake when they pleaded for bread in 1770.
Origin
This phrase originated prior to Marie Antionette’s usage Rousseau’s Confessions, written 3 years before her remark, told of a great princess who said the same thing to her peasants at least 15 years before Marie Antoinette’s birth. Some claim that the thoughtless remark was circulated to discredit Marie, while others say she repeated it herself as a little joke.
The French phrase is Qu’ils mangent de la brioche and may mean they should eat the outer crust (brioche) of the bread – the stale part – as opposed to the soft inside part.
