cake and wine
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A restricted diet of bread and water, imposed as a disciplinary measure.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
After a week of privation on pound cake and white wine (strangely the Navy's slang for solitary confinement on bread and water was "cake and wine") Carlsen received warm nourishment.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “cake and wine” mean?
A restricted diet of bread and water, imposed as a disciplinary measure.
Is “cake and wine” formal or informal?
cake and wine is generally slang.