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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

nutty as a fruitcake en · ADJ

Pronunciation

Etymology

First use appears c. 1911 or 1912. See cite below.

Meanings

  1. (colloquial, not-comparable, qualifier:simile) Behaving in an eccentric, foolish, or kooky manner; very nutty.
    • ... and assuming that the defendant's Aunt Jane, in Wilkes-Barre, was as nutty as a fruitcake, and his grandfather, in Oskaloosa, had to wear cotton in his ears ... 1912, G. Graham (publisher), The Saturday Evening Post - Volume 185, Part 1, page 10:
    • 2003, William Safire / NY Times News Service, "Fruitcake: A word that gets the US Congress to call the cops", Taipei Times, 10 Aug, p. 9, Eugene O'Neill, in his 1914 play, The Movie Man, coined a memorable simile: "We sure are as nutty as a fruitcake or we wouldn't be here."

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
nutty as a fruit cake alternative lexicographic

Synonyms

zany · barmy · loopy · nuttier than squirrel shit · crazy · wacky · daffy · dotty · mad