nutty as a fruitcake

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Behaving in an eccentric, foolish, or kooky manner; very nutty.

Register: colloquial

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

... 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 ...

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “nutty as a fruitcake” mean?

Behaving in an eccentric, foolish, or kooky manner; very nutty.

Is “nutty as a fruitcake” formal or informal?

nutty as a fruitcake is generally colloquial.