Brit a small thin dry bakery product, that may be either sweet or savoury, is usu crisp in texture, and round or rectangular in shape, and is eaten as or with a snack
NAmer a soft cake or bread, e.g. a scone, made without yeast
a light yellowish brown colour
earthenware or porcelain after the first firing and before glazing
take the biscuit
Brit, informal to be the most astonishing or preposterous thing one has heard or seen, esp concerning a particular issue
I've heard some daft ideas in my time, but that one really takes the biscuit
Middle English bisquite dry crisp bread, from early French bescuit, from pain bescuit twice-cooked bread. Biscuits were orig rations carried by soldiers; they were baked and then dried slowly in a very cool oven to make them keep longer