Fruit (slang) fruit" (and rarely "old tin of fruit") to the 1920s in Britain possibly deriving from the phrase "fruit of the womb". In the United States, however, both "fruit" and "fruitcake" are seen as negative with fruitcake likely originating from "nutty as a fruitcake" (a crazy person). A costermonger was a street seller of fruit and vegetables. The term, which derived from the words "costard" (a type of apple) and "monger", i.e. "seller", came to be particularly associated with the "barrow boys" of London who would sell their produce from a wheelbarrow or wheeled market stall. Costermongers have existed in London
Marjorie Sweeting in Fulham in 1920. She was an only child, and her father was a geology lecturer at Imperial College, in London. Her secondary education took place in Mayfield School and later graduated in 1981 from Newham College, Cambridge. She was accepted as a Caroline Turle Research Fellow at Newnham College, Cambridge during 1942 for a year, later returning in 1945 for the Marion Kennedy Research. In 1987 Marjorie Sweeting retired from her position as Reader in Geography at The University of Oxford. She was also a Fellow and Tutor at St Hugh's College 1951–87 (Emeritus), and Lecturer and Reader at