on the fritz

fritz

[frits] Informal.
1.
fritz out, to become inoperable.
2.
on the fritz, not in working order: Our TV went on the fritz last night.

Origin:
1900–05; of obscure origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To on the fritz
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

fritz
in on the fritz "inoperative," 1903, Amer.Eng. slang, of unknown origin. Earliest references suggest a theatrical origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
00:10
On the fritz is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
Slang Dictionary

on the fritz definition


  1. mod.
    not functioning properly. : My watch is on the fritz.
  2. mod.
    alcohol intoxicated. : She drank till she was totally on the fritz.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

on the fritz

see under on the blink.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT