on the fritz
18
8.9
- idiom
- Informal
- 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
57
7.2
Not working because it is broken
57
2.1
Not working so you cannot use it, like a machine or toilet
28
4.0
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'.