What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Waffle vs Cake - What's the difference?

waffle | cake |

In transitive terms the difference between waffle and cake

is that waffle is to rotate (one's hand) back and forth in a gesture of vacillation or ambivalence while cake is coat (something) with a crust of solid material.

As nouns the difference between waffle and cake

is that waffle is a flat pastry pressed with a grid pattern while cake is a rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of flour, sugar, and eggs and baked in an oven, and often covered in icing.

As verbs the difference between waffle and cake

is that waffle is to smash while cake is coat (something) with a crust of solid material.

waffle

English

Etymology 1

The (etyl) word wafel was adopted into English in the 1700s. The Dutch word, in turn, derives from the (etyl) w?fel]]'' (modern German ''Waffel''), which was borrowed into Middle English around 1377 as ''wafer'', and which is also the source of the French ''gaufre''. ''[[wafel, W?fel'', in turn, derives from the Old High German ''waba'', ''wabo'' (modern German ''Wabe''), meaning ''honeycomb'' and ultimately related to the word ''weave . The verb sense "to smash" derives from the manner in which waffle-batter is smashed into its shape between the two halves of a waffle iron, and the sense "to press a waffle pattern into" derives from the pattern the waffle-iron-halves impart.

Noun

(en noun)
  • (countable) A flat pastry pressed with a grid pattern.
  • The brunch was waffles with strawberries and whipped cream.
  • (countable, UK) A , a savoury flat potato cake with the same kind of grid pattern.
  • Derived terms
    * waffled * waffle iron

    Verb

    (waffl)
  • To smash.
  • * 1995 , Peter Allen David, The Incredible Hulk: What savage beast :
  • The cab was waffled in between the two, Marsh never having a prayer or even a full comprehension of what happened to him. He was crushed flat, never even hearing the deafening screech of metal.
  • * 1997 , Bill Conlin, Kevin Kerrane (editor), "Batting cleanup, Bill Conlin" , page 121:
  • These were not the Cowboys who were waffled , 45-14, here at mid-season. They came prepared to play a championship football game, with an ultra-conservative game plan suited to the horrendous turf conditions, and came close to pulling it off [...]
  • * 2005 , Shawn Michaels, with Aaron Feigenbaum, Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story , Page 47:
  • Then I waffled him and knocked him down. Why I cut myself open with the razor, I'm not completely sure. I was like the idiot in a bar who gets all worked up and smashes a bottle over his head [...]
  • * 2006 , Gordon Forbes, Tales from the Eagles Sideline (updated edition), page 2:
  • Bednarik, however, says the play became legendary only because of the circumstances. " I did it [...] to the top honcho. He just happened to be there and the pass was thrown to him. I waffled him cleanly." [...] "He just cold-cocked Frank," said linebacker Bob Pellegrini, whose injury sent Bednarik into the game to play defense.

    Etymology 2

    From the (etyl) ''woof ). Also note (etyl) .

    Noun

    (-)
  • (uncountable) Speech or writing that is vague, pretentious or evasive.
  • This interesting point seems to get lost a little within a lot of self-important waffle .
    Synonyms
    * see

    Verb

    (waffl)
  • To move in a side-to-side motion and descend (lose altitude) before landing. wiffle'', ''whiffle .
  • The geese waffled as they approached the water.
  • To speak or write vaguely and evasively.
  • * 1970 , John Galloway, The Gulf of Tonkin resolution , page 115:
  • Again the answer was "waffled ," for this did not say that no air units had been alerted. Only that none had been "identified." Moreover, the reply concerned air "unit[s]" as opposed to "air craft".
  • To speak or write at length without any clear point or aim.
  • * 1976 Tony Hatch, So you want to be in the music business, Everest Books, p68
  • Unless you have a great line in gags or repartee don't waffle on aimlessly to your audience, or make in-jokes among yourselves, the band or the compere/DJ.
  • * 1984 "Apiary Antics- No.5," British bee journal , Volumes 112-113, p68
  • Before getting down to the nitty gritty of beekeeping, most contributors to BBJ like to waffle on for a bit about the weather, the state of their garden or something equally inconsequential.
  • * 2005 Bill Condon, No Worries, Univ. of Queensland Press, p78
  • She waffled on for ages. Usually I'd say something smart or make it obvious that I wasn't interested and couldn't be bothered listening.
  • * 2006 Carl Storm, A Mighty Fine Way to Live and Die, Backstrap Ltd, p8
  • The whole thing ended suddenly when the hotel manager arrived. He waffled on for a bit; this settled everyone down.
  • To vacillate.
  • He waffles between loving the movie and hating it, depending on who's asking.
  • To rotate (one's hand) back and forth in a gesture of vacillation or ambivalence.
  • * 2007 , Michael Koryta, Sorrow’s Anthem , Macmillan, ISBN 978-0-312-93660-0, page 146:
  • “”
    Synonyms
    * (vacillate) blow hot and cold * (speak or write vaguely and evasively) beat around the bush

    cake

    English

    (wikipedia cake) (commons)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) cake, from (etyl) , (l), and (l).

    Noun

  • A rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of flour, sugar and eggs and baked in an oven, and often covered in icing.
  • A small mass of baked dough, especially a thin loaf from unleavened dough.
  • an oatmeal cake
    a johnnycake
  • A thin wafer-shaped mass of fried batter; a griddlecake or pancake.
  • buckwheat cakes
  • A block of any of various dense materials.
  • a cake of soap
    a cake of sand
  • * Dryden
  • Cakes of rusting ice come rolling down the flood.
  • (slang) A trivially easy task or responsibility; from a piece of cake .
  • (slang) Money.
  • Usage notes
    * In British usage, a (term) is distinct from a (term); the former is generally hard but becomes soft when stale, whereas the latter is generally soft but becomes hard when stale.
    Derived terms
    * a piece of cake * ague-cake * angel cake * angel food cake * ash-cake * ashcake * baked in the cake * Banbury cake * barm cake * Battenburg cake * batter-cake * battercake * beefcake * birthday cake * bridecake * bundt cake * cake bar * cake-bread * cake-eater * cake-fumbler * cakehole * cake-house * cakelet * cake-meal * cake mix * cake saffron * cake slice * cake tin * cake-urchin * cakes and ale * cakes and cheese * cakewalk * cakewalker * caking * caky * carcake * carrot cake * cattle-cake * cheesecake * cherry cake * chocolate cake * chocolate fudge cake * chocolate sponge cake * Christmas cake * coffee cake * coffeecake * corn-cake * cotton-cake * cream cake * cupcake * devil's food cake * Dundee cake * Eccles cake * every cake has its fellow * every cake has its make * every cake has its mate * fairy cake * fish cake * fishcake * flannel cake * friedcake * fruitcake * fudge cake * go like hot cakes * griddle-cake * have one's cake and eat it too * haver-cake * heart-cake * hoecake * Johnny cake * johnny cake * journey-cake * king cake * knead-cake * Land of Cakes * lardy cake * layer cake * linseed cake * Madeira cake * marble cake * nutcake * oatcake * oilcake * one's cake is dough * Pan-Cake * pancake * parliament-cake * pat-a-cake * patty-cake * plum-cake * pomfret-cake * Pontefract cake * pound cake * queencake * rape-cake * rice cake * rock cake * rose-cake * rout-cake * saffron cake * salt-cake * seed-cake * seedcake * sell like hot cakes * Shawnee cake * sheet cake * shortcake * simnel cake * singing cake * soul-cake * spice-cake * sponge cake * take the cake * teacake * tharf-cake * the cake is a lie * the icing on the cake * the national cake * tipsy cake * Twelfth-cake * Twelfth-night cake * upside-down cake * Victorian sponge cake * wedding cake * yellowcake
    Synonyms
    * (dessert) * (block) block * (easy task) see piece of cake
    Descendants
    * Dutch: (l), (l) (also (l), older also (l), (l)) * Faroese: (l) * German: (l) ** Serbo-Croatian: * Icelandic: (l) * Nauruan: (l) * Japanese: * Norwegian: (l) * Swedish: (l)
    See also
    (attention) * biscuit * * brownie * bun * cruller * crumpet * dessert * donut * doughnut * * flapjack * frangipane * * gugelhupf * jumbal * koeksister * kruller * kuchen * kugelhopf * kugelhupf * ladyfinger * lamington * Linzertorte * madeleine * muffin * parkin * pastry * patisserie * petit four * pie * pikelet * pudding * rum baba * Sally Lunn * scone * sponge * Swiss roll * tart * torte * Victoria sponge * yumyum

    Verb

  • Coat (something) with a crust of solid material.
  • His shoes are caked with mud.
  • To form into a cake, or mass.
  • Synonyms
    * (coat with a crust of material) crust, encrust

    Etymology 2

    Verb

  • (UK, dialect, obsolete, intransitive) To cackle like a goose.
  • (Webster 1913)

    Anagrams

    * 1000 English basic words ----