definitions

nutty as a fruitcake

Crazy, idiotic, as in Mary's nutty as a fruitcake if she thinks she can get away with that. The adjective nutty meaning “insane” was first recorded in 1821; the similarity to fruitcake, which literally contains nuts as well as fruit, was first recorded in 1935.

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RELATED WORDS

nutty, maniacal, manic, hysterical, unhinged, psychotic, mad, deranged, crazy, lunatic, cuckoo, maniac, nuts, sick, psycho, crackers, bonkers, brainsick, daft, demented

Nearby words

nutso, nutsy, nutter, nutting, nutty, nutty as a fruitcake, nutwood, nuuk, nux vomica, nuxalk, nuyorican
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.