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- on the fritz Out of commission; broken. No one really knows the origin of this term, which has been used since about 1900. Everyone agrees that Fritz was a derogatory name for a German, but how—or even if—it became equated with disrepair has been forgotten.
idioms.thefreedictionary.com › on+the+fritz
Mar 11, 1994 · Noting that the earliest citation of “on the fritz” in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1903, word detectives William and Mary Morris guess that it all started with the comic strip The Katzenjammer Kids, which began around that time.
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The Origins of “On The Fritz”. The exact origin of this idiom is unclear, but it is believed to have originated in America in the early 20th century. Some speculate that it may have been derived from German immigrants who used a similar phrase “auf der Fritz” which means “in a state of disorder”.
Jul 17, 2023 · One identifies the term “Fritz” as an onomatopoetic word, mimicing the sparking sound of a faulty wire. This is considered to be a more likely origin, as the expression has been around in American English as early as 1905.
Aug 11, 2001 · The phrase is now a common American expression meaning that some mechanism is malfunctioning or broken: “The washing machine’s on the fritz again” (the British and Australian equivalent would be on the blink). However, when it first appeared — about 1902 — it meant that something was in a bad way or bad condition.
May 26, 2021 · When something is on the fritz or on the blink it is out of order or otherwise in unsatisfactory condition. The two phrases are Americanisms and start appearing around the turn of the twentieth century, but otherwise the origins of both are obscure.
The phrase on the fritz dates to the beginning of the 20th century--a time, perhaps, when electric appliances were becoming more common (and consequently break down) in American homes. However, nobody knows the exact origin of the term.
4 days ago · on the fritz. (of electrical or mechanical appliances, idiomatic, Northern US) Out of order; malfunctioning; broken . Synonyms: fritzed, (Australian) bung, (UK, Australia) on the blink, (offensive) spaz. I'd record it, but my tape deck is on the fritz again.
