the cake is a lie

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Born ~2007 · no dated citations yet

Late-Millennial / Web 2.0 eraSee decade cohort →

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#1·Apr 26, 2026

(Internet slang) The end being pursued is unattainable or misguided; the reward promised is false.

Origin: From the video game Portal (2007), in which a self-aware computer, GLaDOS, lures the player into participating in dangerous experiments with the promise of a cake. As the game progresses, the player discovers graffiti left by the only previous test subject to survive GLaDOS' murderous scheme, including the warning the cake is a lie. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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Viral internet speak — memes, ratios, main-character moments, and the algospeak of every platform from Twitter to Reddit to TikTok comment sections.

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