It might have been used for a long time, but it is Norwegian. And as far as I've been told, been getting more popular with the comings of the internet and trend of using words/phrases in other languages that has no translations to English.
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· 7 years ago
I don't really know who your source is but takes the cake is from ancient Greece, and I know in the US it has been used for a really long time so I doubt the internet is doing anything to it here
I looked it up and I'm not finding any reverence to any origins in Norway.
It's possible that the idea of a cake as a prize may have originated in ancient Greece, but:
"there's no evidence of any take up of it in English prior to the 19th century US usage."
The earliest documentation of the use of "take the cake," was in the 1870's. Originating with cake-walk strutting competitions, in southern black communities. To "take the cake," was to win the event.
The pluralized variant "take the cakes" goes back further to 1847 to horse racing.
'Takes the biscuit' is more common in UK English, usually used when someone does something really annoying e.g. "He asked to have a splash of milk then used the whole bottle!" "That just takes the biscuit!"
It's possible that the idea of a cake as a prize may have originated in ancient Greece, but:
"there's no evidence of any take up of it in English prior to the 19th century US usage."
The earliest documentation of the use of "take the cake," was in the 1870's. Originating with cake-walk strutting competitions, in southern black communities. To "take the cake," was to win the event.
The pluralized variant "take the cakes" goes back further to 1847 to horse racing.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/take-the-cake.html
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/take_the_cake
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/take+the+cake
Norway may very well have a phrase that translates similarly, but it's use in the US does not have Norwegian origins.