fritz1
/frɪts
/noun (in phrase go or be on the fritz) North American informal
(Of a machine) stop working properly: our TV went on the fritz for two weeks...
- My cable modem at home is on the fritz, so there probably won't be any more blog posts until I get it fixed.
- It's not like an electrical grid is going to go on the fritz tomorrow and leave a corner of the country in the dark, right?
- Our electrical equipment went on the fritz and never came back.
Origin
Early 20th century: said to be a use of Fritz, with allusion to cheap German imports into the US before the First World War.
Fritz2
/frɪts/noun British informal, dated
1A German, especially a soldier in the First World War (often used as a nickname).The other day two Fritzes appeared walking unarmed along the top of their trench trying to fraternise....
- We saw Fritz try to get several other balloons but the anti-aircraft guns compelled him to fly high and so he could not make a direct hit.
1.1 [in singular] The Germans collectively.
Origin
Late 19th century: abbreviation of the German given name Friedrich.