nutty
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(as) nutty as a fruitcake
Crazy or wacky. Usually used humorously. The kids are always nutty as fruitcakes when they've had something sugary to eat. My Aunt Jeannie has always been nutty as a fruitcake. I know some of my students think I'm as nutty as a fruitcake because of my weird methods.
be (as) nutty as a fruitcake
slang To be crazy or wacky. Usually used humorously. Don't listen to a word he says, he's as nutty as a fruitcake! You're nutty as a fruitcake if you think that plan will work. I know some of my students think I'm as nutty as a fruitcake because of my weird methods.
be nutty about (someone or something)
To be very passionate and enthusiastic about someone or something. My daughter is nutty about sports—she's currently playing soccer, taking swimming lessons, and playing tennis. A: "The kids are nutty about that drum you gave them." B: "Oh boy. Do you hate me now?" A: "Pretty much!" Tommy seems to be nutty about baseball right now, so just get him a new bat for his birthday.
See also: nutty
nuttier than a fruitcake
Crazy or wacky. Usually used humorously. The kids are always nuttier than fruitcakes when they've had something sugary to eat. My Aunt Jeannie has always been nuttier than a fruitcake.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
*nutty as a fruitcake
and nuttier than a fruitcakecrazy. (*Also: as ~.) Don't pay any attention to John; he's nutty as a fruitcake. Mary's schemes for making money are nuttier than a fruitcake.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
nutty as a fruitcake
BRITISH, INFORMALIf someone is as nutty as a fruitcake, they are crazy. The man is a charmer — intense, funny, and nutty as a fruitcake. Note: `Nutty' or `nuts' is an informal word for mad. Nutty can also mean containing a lot of nuts in the way that a fruitcake often does.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
be nutty about
like very much. informalSee also: nutty
nutty as a fruitcake
completely crazy. informalNutty meaning ‘mad or crazy’ dates from the late 19th century, and this phrase, punning on the sense of ‘full of nuts’, from the 1930s. Fruitcake is also used on its own to mean ‘a crazy or eccentric person’.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
(as) nutty as a ˈfruitcake
(informal, humorous) (of a person) completely crazy: He’s as nutty as a fruitcake. Do you know what he did yesterday? He had lunch outside in the pouring rain.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
(as) nutty as a fruitcake
mod. very silly or stupid. The whole idea is as nutty as a fruitcake.
nutty as a fruitcake
verbnutty
mod. silly; giddy; stupid. What a nutty idea!
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
nuttier than a fruitcake
Crazy, eccentric. This term originated in America about 1920 and transfers the actual nuts in a fruitcake to the colloquial meaning of nutty as crazy. The term later gave rise to the usage fruitcake for an eccentric individual.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer