on the fritz
17
8.9
- idiom
- Informal
:
averiado
- That burner’s on the fritz again.
- go on the fritz
- TV is on the fritz
- air conditioner is on the fritz
Examples
-
It's just that my car is a bit on the fritz.
-
Our computer went on the fritz again.
Fiction book (1992) -
Yeah, but he said his phone was on the fritz.
-
The ice machine a few feet outside his door was on the fritz.
Fiction book (1995) -
The microphone is on the fritz, sir.
-
The printer was on the fritz.
-
The local Xerox machine is on the fritz...
-
The radio's on the fritz.
Fiction book (1993) -
Our furnace is on the fritz.
Blog text (23) -
The Christmas lights are on the fritz again, so we will need to replace the bulbs.
Synonyms
28
2.1
Not working so you cannot use it, like a machine or toilet
2
7.2
Not working because it is broken
Not working properly so a machine or system cannot work as it should
Antonyms
How Functional
Surface Forms
Morphology
Given the constituent definitions, 'fritz' already denotes a malfunctioning condition, and the prepositional pattern 'on the + noun' signals being in a particular state or condition. Therefore a learner who knows the words 'on' and 'fritz' can transparently derive 'on the fritz' as 'in a malfunctioning state'.
Etymology
The idiom on the fritz may come from old talk about machines that made a buzzing, sparking noise; people would say the device had the fritz when it started to fail. That's why today it means 'not working'.