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Glite Dictionary
to fret the gizzard

to fret the gizzard

9.9
To worry too much about things you cannot control
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : preocuparse en exceso
  • Don't fret the gizzard over things you can't change!

Examples

  • There's no need to fret the gizzard just because plans changed.

  • She tends to fret the gizzard about her exams.

  • He knew it was pointless to fret the gizzard about the weather.

  • You shouldn't fret the gizzard over minor mistakes at work.

  • There's no need to fret the gizzard just because plans changed.

  • You shouldn't fret the gizzard over minor mistakes at work.

  • He knew it was pointless to fret the gizzard about the weather.

Synonyms

to worry about
vsto fret the gizzard
∞ 2.0

Feel afraid about what might happen to someone or something

is anxiety focused on things beyond a person's control
to fuss
vsto fret the gizzard
19 2.8

To worry too much about small things

is excessive concern about matters beyond a person's control
to sweat the details
vsto fret the gizzard
  • Informal
1 6.7

To worry too much about small, unimportant things

is excessive concern about issues one cannot influence

Antonyms

to relax
∞ 1.0

To feel less nervous and more calm

How Worried

to agonize
  • US
6 6.8
to fret the gizzard
  • Informal
9.9
to worry
∞ 1.0
to fret
67 4.2

Surface Forms

fret the gizzard infinitive
fret the gizzard past
fret the gizzard past participle
fretting the gizzard present participle
frets the gizzard third person singular

Morphology

fret + the + gizzard

While 'fret' means 'to worry', the noun 'gizzard' (an internal organ, especially in birds) does not yield a clear compositional sense of 'worry excessively' for most learners; the object is atypical and the phrase functions as a regional/idiomatic expression. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not reliably derive the idiomatic meaning from the parts alone, so the expression is unpredictable.

Etymology

Fret the gizzard may come from watching birds: the gizzard is a bird's strong stomach that grinds food, and when a bird is bothered it seems to fret that part by rubbing or picking at it. So, fret the gizzard now means 'to worry too much', especially about things you cannot control.