That s the way the cookie crumbles

that’s the way the cookie crumbles

1 that’s the way the cookie crumbles

They wanted a baby girl but got a third boy — that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

John wrecked his car and then lost his job. That’s the way the cookie crumbles.

2 that’s the way the cookie crumbles

It’s tough, I know, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles — Конечно, трудно, но что поделаешь

He wrecked his car and then lost his job. That’s the way the cookie crumbles — Сперва он разбил машину, а потом потерял работу. Что ж, бывает

No matter how the cookies crumbled, she was in for a bad time — Какой бы оборот ни приняли дела, ей все равно грозили неприятности

3 that’s the way the cookie crumbles

4 That’s the way the cookie crumbles

5 that’s the way the cookie crumbles

6 That’s the way the cookie crumbles!

7 (that’s) how (or the way) the cookie crumbles

8 how the cookie crumbles

I didn’t let my fingers flicker quick enough. And I didn’t know the store dick was standing right behind me. Oh well, that’s the way the cookie crumbles. You can’t win ’em all. (P. G. Wodehouse, ‘Ice in Bedroom’, ch. V) — Мои руки двигались недостаточно проворно. И я не знала, что у меня за спиной магазинный сыщик. Вот такие дела. И на старуху бывает проруха.

No matter how the cookie crumbled. Mamma Ida was in for a bad time. (Suppl) — Как бы ни сложились дела, маме Иде все равно придется туго.

9 cookie

That’s the way the cookie crumbles. — Такова жизнь!

(«так крошится печенье»). Существует версия на «кухонной» латыни: sic biscuitus disintegrat. В мире театра говорят:

‘That’s the way the mop flops’. — «Так плюхается швабра».

10 way

a way across the valley / through the centre of the city — дорога через долину, центр города

a way from A to B — путь, дорога из А в Б

in smb.’s way — на пути у кого-л.

on one’s way, under way — в пути

on the way home / to work / to the airport — по пути домой, на работу, в аэропорт

to ask / tell smb. the way to Oxford Street — спросить у кого-л., объяснить кому-л., как добраться до Оксфорд-Стрит

to block smb.’s way — преградить кому-л. путь, дорогу

to be / stand in smb.’s way — преграждать кому-л. дорогу, стоять у кого-л. на пути прям. и перен.

to hold / keep one’s way — держаться избранного пути

to lose one’s way — заблудиться, сбиться с пути

to make one’s way to / towards smth. — направиться куда-л.

We lost our way in the maze of narrow streets. — Мы заблудились в лабиринте узких улочек.

She thrust her way through the crowd. — Она пробралась через толпу.

Much was certainly lost when the former Soviet Republics decided to go separate ways. — Многое, конечно, было потеряно, когда пути бывших советских республик разошлись.

I couldn’t get through the gate because your car was in the way. — Я не мог проехать в ворота, потому что твоя машина перегородила дорогу.

Get / keep / stay out of my way! — Не путайся у меня под ногами!

Which is the shortest / quickest way from here to the railway station? — Как быстрее всего добраться отсюда до железнодорожного вокзала?

Just follow the Way Out signs. — Просто следуйте за указателями «Выход».

to look the other way — намеренно смотреть в другую сторону, не замечать, отвернуться

Could you look this way? — Посмотрите, пожалуйста, сюда (в эту сторону).

They paused at the top of the stairs, doubtful as to which way to go next. — Они остановились на верху лестницы, не зная в какую сторону дальше идти.

The sign was the wrong way up. — Вывеска висела вверх ногами.

We have walked a long way. — Мы прошли пешком большое расстояние.

Holiday is a long way off. — До отпуска далеко.

I will find a way to do it. — Я найду способ это сделать.

Another way of making new friends is to go to an evening class. — Ещё один способ приобрести новых друзей – записаться на вечерние занятия.

He had a strange way of talking. — У него была странная манера говорить.

She smiled in a friendly way. — Она дружески улыбнулась.

It is not in his way to be communicative. — Он не отличается общительностью.

to stand in the ancient ways — держаться за старину, быть противником новшеств

I urged him to alter his ways. — Я уговаривал его изменить свои привычки.

in a big / small way — в большом / малом масштабе

They are in no small way responsible for it. — Они в немалой степени несут за это ответственность.

He has changed in every way. — Он полностью изменился.

The economy is in a bad way. — В экономике дела обстоят скверно.

She is in the family way. — Она в интересном положении.

He put her in the family way. — Он её обрюхатил.

If you speak standard English anywhere round our way, people tend to view you with suspicion. — Если в нашей местности вы говорите на литературном английском, люди склонны смотреть на вас с подозрением.

There was little in the way of news. — Там почти ничего не было по части новостей.

Ways for rolling weights along — Направляющие для перекатывания грузов.

That’s the way the cookie crumbles. — разг. Такова жизнь. / Ничего не поделаешь. / Всё бывает.

The temperature is way below zero. — Температура значительно ниже нуля.

Unemployment is way above the official figure. — Безработица намного превышает официальные цифры.

He drank way too much. — Он слишком много пил.

11 mock

12 win a few lose a few etc

Win a few, lose a few, that’s the way the cookie crumbles — Когда выиграешь, когда проиграешь, все бывает

Well, sir, win a few, lose the rest is what I say — Выиграешь немного, а просадишь все. Я всегда так говорил

См. также в других словарях:

that’s the way the cookie crumbles — that’s the way the cookie crumbles informal phrase used for saying that you must accept a situation that you do not like because you cannot change it Thesaurus: words used to describe situations and circumstanceshyponym general words for… … Useful english dictionary

that is the way the cookie crumbles — That s the way the cookie crumbles means that things don t always turn out the way we want … The small dictionary of idiomes

that’s the way the cookie crumbles — that is fate, that is the way things happen You didn t win the prize? That s the way the cookie crumbles … English idioms

that is the way the cookie crumbles — That s the way the cookie crumbles means that things don t always turn out the way we want. (Dorking School Dictionary) … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

That is the way the cookie crumbles — That s the way the cookie crumbles means that things don t always turn out the way we want … Dictionary of English idioms

That’s the way the cookie crumbles. — ent. That is life.; That is typical of the unequal share of things you are likely to get in life. □ I lost my job. Oh, well. That’s the way the cookie crumbles. □ Oh, gee! Too bad. That’s the way the cookie crumbles … Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

that’s the way the cookie crumbles — To say that s the way the cookie crumbles means that is the way things are and nothing can be done about it that s life! … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

That’s the way the cookie crumbles. — British, American & Australian, informal, American, informal something that you say which means that bad things sometimes happen and there is nothing you can do to prevent it, so it is not worth becoming upset about it. I can t believe they chose … New idioms dictionary

the\ cookie\ crumbles! — • that s the way the ball bounces • the cookie crumbles! Nothing unusual about that. Said of unpleasant things. Susan left me for a heavyweight boxer, and then I got drunk and wrecked my car, Bob bitterly complained. Well, that s the way the… … Словарь американских идиом

that’s the way the cookie crumbles informal, — that s the way the cookie crumbles informal, chiefly N. Amer. that s the situation, and it must be accepted, however undesirable. → cookie … English new terms dictionary

the cookie crumbles — (informal) ▪ That s what the situation is ▪ That s the way things usually happen ● cookie … Useful english dictionary

that’s the way the cookie crumbles

They wanted a baby girl but got a third boy — that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

John wrecked his car and then lost his job. That’s the way the cookie crumbles.

Смотреть что такое «that’s the way the cookie crumbles» в других словарях:

that’s the way the cookie crumbles — that’s the way the cookie crumbles informal phrase used for saying that you must accept a situation that you do not like because you cannot change it Thesaurus: words used to describe situations and circumstanceshyponym general words for… … Useful english dictionary

that is the way the cookie crumbles — That s the way the cookie crumbles means that things don t always turn out the way we want … The small dictionary of idiomes

that’s the way the cookie crumbles — that is fate, that is the way things happen You didn t win the prize? That s the way the cookie crumbles … English idioms

that is the way the cookie crumbles — That s the way the cookie crumbles means that things don t always turn out the way we want. (Dorking School Dictionary) … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

That is the way the cookie crumbles — That s the way the cookie crumbles means that things don t always turn out the way we want … Dictionary of English idioms

That’s the way the cookie crumbles. — ent. That is life.; That is typical of the unequal share of things you are likely to get in life. □ I lost my job. Oh, well. That’s the way the cookie crumbles. □ Oh, gee! Too bad. That’s the way the cookie crumbles … Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

that’s the way the cookie crumbles — To say that s the way the cookie crumbles means that is the way things are and nothing can be done about it that s life! … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

That’s the way the cookie crumbles. — British, American & Australian, informal, American, informal something that you say which means that bad things sometimes happen and there is nothing you can do to prevent it, so it is not worth becoming upset about it. I can t believe they chose … New idioms dictionary

the\ cookie\ crumbles! — • that s the way the ball bounces • the cookie crumbles! Nothing unusual about that. Said of unpleasant things. Susan left me for a heavyweight boxer, and then I got drunk and wrecked my car, Bob bitterly complained. Well, that s the way the… … Словарь американских идиом

that’s the way the cookie crumbles informal, — that s the way the cookie crumbles informal, chiefly N. Amer. that s the situation, and it must be accepted, however undesirable. → cookie … English new terms dictionary

the cookie crumbles — (informal) ▪ That s what the situation is ▪ That s the way things usually happen ● cookie … Useful english dictionary

What does the idiom «That’s the way it crumbles, cookie-wise» mean?

I just watched the movie The apartment (by Billy Wilder, 1960) and hear the main character say:

That’s the way it crumbles, cookie-wise

I kind of understand it as «that’s life», as someone would say while sighing. But I wonder: what is the origin of it? Am I right about its meaning?

6 Answers 6

That’s the way it crumbles, cookie-wise meaning:

An early usage example is from the «Michigan Courthouse Review» 1951:

Ngram shows usage of the depression from the mid 50’s.

There is an idiom (perhaps a proverb by now): That’s the way the cookie crumbles. The writers just put a slight twist on it.

By way of supporting Janine’s remark (in a separate answer) that the suffix -wise enjoyed skyrocketing use in the decade leading up to 1960, when The Apartment (directed by Billy Wilder) was released, here is an Ngram chart tracking use of the word moneywise across 1800–2008:

That particular term appears in print as early as in Theodore Hook, Gervase Skinner (1828):

. although, to ensure these pecuniary and popular advantages, he disbursed in fact ten times more of his worldly substance in kind, than would, if he had properly disposed of it, moneywise, have secured him all the privileges he desired, and all the popularity he courted.

But the vast majority of the occurrences of moneywise are from 1950 or later. For example, from Gene Wallace, «What Kind of Boat Shall I Buy?,» in Motor Boating (January 1952):

Don’t be swayed by non-essentials. The hull is the most important thing, then comes the power plant (engine and/or sails, spars and rigging). Next consider condition and completeness of equipment—surprising how much equipment adds up to. Location of the boat is important too, time and moneywise.

Taking a cue from the Motor Boating quotation, I also created an Ngram Chart for timewise for the period 1800–2008. Here it is:

Garland Cannon, An Integrated Transformational Grammar of the English Language, volume 8 (1978) has this to say about the embrace of the -wise suffix in U.S. popular culture:

A fourth suffix descended from Old English, -wise, occurs in crosswise, leastwise, likewise, and otherwise. It has been madly attracted to nouns in recent decades, as in moneywise and stylewise.

Stylewise, though, is something of an early bloomer (and early rotter) among -wise constructions, as this Ngram chart for the word over the period 1800–2008 indicates:

Cookiewise is a joke term, alluding to the -wise madness of the era. Eric Partridge & Paul Beale, A Dictionary of Catch Phrases (1986)—also cited in user66974’s answer—mentions it in a longer entry for the widespread catch-phrase «That’s the way the cookie crumbles»:

. in 1975, Prof. Emeritus F.E.L. Priestley spoke of ‘the now happily obsolete «that’s the way the cookie crumbles»‘ and referred to ‘the lovely takeoff line in the movie The Apartment [1960] when Jack Lemmon says, «That’s the way it crumbles cookiewise«‘—when he is also deriding ‘the horrible “-wise» jargon of about ten years ago'(F.E.L.P.).

There are zero Google Books matches for cookiewise prior to 1960, indicating that the word was indeed Billy Wilder’s invention. However, the suffix -wise is attachable to any number of root noun’s as its entry in Merriam-Webster’s Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary (2003) indicates:

-wise adv comb form -wīsan, fr. wīse manner> 1 a : in the manner of wise> wise> b : in the position or direction of wise> wise> 2 : with regard to: in respect of wise>

So, whether you want to say «in the manner of a cookie,» «in the position or direction of a cookie,» or «with regard to or in respect of a cookie,» cookiewise has you covered (with crumbs).

how the cookie crumbles

I didn’t let my fingers flicker quick enough. And I didn’t know the store dick was standing right behind me. Oh well, that’s the way the cookie crumbles. You can’t win ’em all. (P. G. Wodehouse, ‘Ice in Bedroom’, ch. V) — Мои руки двигались недостаточно проворно. И я не знала, что у меня за спиной магазинный сыщик. Вот такие дела. И на старуху бывает проруха.

No matter how the cookie crumbled. Mamma Ida was in for a bad time. (Suppl) — Как бы ни сложились дела, маме Иде все равно придется туго.

Смотреть что такое «how the cookie crumbles» в других словарях:

this is how the cookie crumbles — or[that s how the cookie crumbles] , That s how things are; that s life. * /It s too bad about John and Mary getting divorced, but then that s how the cookie crumbles./ … Dictionary of American idioms

this is how the cookie crumbles — or[that s how the cookie crumbles] , That s how things are; that s life. * /It s too bad about John and Mary getting divorced, but then that s how the cookie crumbles./ … Dictionary of American idioms

that’s\ how\ the\ cookie\ crumbles — • that s how the cookie crumbles v. phr. informal that s how things are; that s life. It s too bad about John and Mary getting divorced, but then that s how the cookie crumbles … Словарь американских идиом

this\ is\ how\ the\ cookie\ crumbles — • that s how the cookie crumbles v. phr. informal that s how things are; that s life. It s too bad about John and Mary getting divorced, but then that s how the cookie crumbles … Словарь американских идиом

that’s the way the cookie crumbles — that’s the way the cookie crumbles informal phrase used for saying that you must accept a situation that you do not like because you cannot change it Thesaurus: words used to describe situations and circumstanceshyponym general words for… … Useful english dictionary

That’s the way the cookie crumbles — (Colloquial) that is how things generally turn out, that s the way things happen; that is the way it goes; that s life … English contemporary dictionary

That’s the way the cookie crumbles — that s how things are … Dictionary of Australian slang

that’s the way the cookie crumbles — Australian Slang that s how things are … English dialects glossary

The Cleveland Show (season 2) — The Cleveland Show Season 2 DVD box Country of origin United States … Wikipedia

The Cleveland Show (season 1) — The Cleveland Show Season 1 DVD box Country of origin United States … Wikipedia

The Cleveland Show — The Brown/Tubbs family. From left to right: Back: Cleveland, Donna, Roberta. Front … Wikipedia

That’s the way the cookie crumbles

Смотреть что такое «That’s the way the cookie crumbles» в других словарях:

that’s the way the cookie crumbles — that’s the way the cookie crumbles informal phrase used for saying that you must accept a situation that you do not like because you cannot change it Thesaurus: words used to describe situations and circumstanceshyponym general words for… … Useful english dictionary

that is the way the cookie crumbles — That s the way the cookie crumbles means that things don t always turn out the way we want … The small dictionary of idiomes

that’s the way the cookie crumbles — that is fate, that is the way things happen You didn t win the prize? That s the way the cookie crumbles … English idioms

that is the way the cookie crumbles — That s the way the cookie crumbles means that things don t always turn out the way we want. (Dorking School Dictionary) … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

That is the way the cookie crumbles — That s the way the cookie crumbles means that things don t always turn out the way we want … Dictionary of English idioms

That’s the way the cookie crumbles. — ent. That is life.; That is typical of the unequal share of things you are likely to get in life. □ I lost my job. Oh, well. That’s the way the cookie crumbles. □ Oh, gee! Too bad. That’s the way the cookie crumbles … Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

that’s the way the cookie crumbles — To say that s the way the cookie crumbles means that is the way things are and nothing can be done about it that s life! … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

That’s the way the cookie crumbles. — British, American & Australian, informal, American, informal something that you say which means that bad things sometimes happen and there is nothing you can do to prevent it, so it is not worth becoming upset about it. I can t believe they chose … New idioms dictionary

the\ cookie\ crumbles! — • that s the way the ball bounces • the cookie crumbles! Nothing unusual about that. Said of unpleasant things. Susan left me for a heavyweight boxer, and then I got drunk and wrecked my car, Bob bitterly complained. Well, that s the way the… … Словарь американских идиом

that’s the way the cookie crumbles informal, — that s the way the cookie crumbles informal, chiefly N. Amer. that s the situation, and it must be accepted, however undesirable. → cookie … English new terms dictionary

the cookie crumbles — (informal) ▪ That s what the situation is ▪ That s the way things usually happen ● cookie … Useful english dictionary