Context #1
Dear Diary,
I just started at my new school and I'm very excited! All of my teachers are excellent, the school is in a wonderful location, my schedule is great, AND one of my classmates is really cute. The classes are pretty small, too, so I know I'll be partnering with him on projects and exercises. I know I'm here to study so I won't let him distract me from that. He's just the icing on the cake! Can't wait for school tomorrow!
Context #2
Lena: How's your new job, Sandra?
Sandra: I love it! It's a great company.
Lena: Is the pay good? Are you making more than at your last job?
Sandra: Oh, yes! Much more! But that's just the icing on the cake. We're given tons of perks like fully-covered health insurance, an office gym, and a free healthy lunch catered on site every Friday. There are also lots of opportunities to move up as the company grows into other markets. I'm really excited about it!
Lena: Wow! That sounds amazing. Are they still hiring?
Explanation: The icing on the cake is used to talk about an additional, but non-essential, part of something that is already quite good. It makes a good thing even better.
In Example 1, the student is writing in her diary about her new school. Her new school is good in many ways AND there's a cute boy in her class. The cute boy is not necessary but makes a good thing even better.
In Example 2, Sandra has a great new job. There are many perks and opportunities for growth which makes the job great. She says the great pay is an extra thing to make the job better.
use the BE verb with this expression
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