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# fruitcake

noun (a fruitcake, fruitcakes; also fruitcake — uncountable for the food)

«fruitcake» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A fruitcake is a rich cake full of dried fruit like raisins, currants and cherries, often eaten at Christmas and weddings. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fruitcake/#m1)
2. (informal, rude) A fruitcake is a person who seems crazy or very strange; «nutty as a fruitcake» means very silly or mad. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fruitcake/#m2)

### In the lessons

In everyday life it is a festive food, especially in the UK, Ireland, Australia and NZ (Christmas cake). As slang it is a jokey insult for odd behaviour; it can be unkind, especially about people with mental illness. Phrases: a slice of fruitcake, nutty as a fruitcake.

### Examples

- Grandma bakes a fruitcake every Christmas. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fruitcake/#x1)
- Would you like a slice of fruitcake with your tea? [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fruitcake/#x2)
- The wedding cake was a rich fruitcake covered in icing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fruitcake/#x3)
- The fruitcake was cut into 16 equal slices. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fruitcake/#x4)
- (informal) Our neighbour talks to his tomatoes — he's a bit of a fruitcake. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fruitcake/#x5)
- (informal) «He's as nutty as a fruitcake,» laughed Dad. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fruitcake/#x6)
- Fruitcake keeps for weeks in a tin. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fruitcake/#x7)

### Note

Usually one word: fruitcake (also «fruit cake»). Uncountable for the food (some fruitcake), countable for whole cakes (two fruitcakes). The insult sense is informal and can be hurtful — avoid it about real people.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «fruitcake» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fruitcake/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«fruitcake» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/fruitcake.html) on Mova free.