That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles

Also:

That’s how the cookie crumbles

That’s just the way the cookie crumbles

Meaning of Idiom ‘That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles’

That’s the way the cookie crumbles means that’s the way things often turn out; that’s the way things are (and nothing can be done about it); that’s exactly what one would expect to happen. ¹Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.,²Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth M. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995.

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Usage

That’s the way the cookie crumbles is used in a situation that is unpleasant, unfortunate, or undesirable and which are considered unalterable or unchangeable.

Examples Of Use

“Do you really think Allison is going to move to France?” asked Ron. “That’s about the size of it, said Ken.” “I wish she wouldn’t leave,” said Ron. “Well, that’s the way the cookie crumbles,” said Ken.

“I hear the factory is closing despite what the boss claimed,” said Frank. “That’s how the cookie crumbles,” replied Chuck.

“This snow is going to keep going all night and I have an important meeting in the morning. Isn’t that just the way the cookie crumbles?”

Origin

This chiefly American idiom has been used since the mid-1900s. It alludes to how easily a cookie will crumble and to the fact that, once it has, it cannot be put back together. ³Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.

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