As fruit divided by fifty, multiply by a smaller figure? (9)
I believe the answer is:
quadruple
'multiply by a smaller figure?' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'as fruit divided by fifty' is the wordplay.
'as' becomes 'qua' (I've seen this before).
'fruit' becomes 'drupe' (drupe is a kind of fruit).
'divided by' indicates putting letters inside.
'fifty' becomes 'l' (roman numeral).
'drupe' going around 'l' is 'druple'.
'qua'+'druple'='QUADRUPLE'
(Other definitions for quadruple that I've seen before include "Multiply by two, twice" , "Times by four" , "Increase fourfold" .)