frazzle

English

Etymology

Originally an East Anglian word. Either from a variant of the now obsolete fazle (“to unravel”), altered due to influence from fray, or from a blend of fazle and fray. fazle comes from earlier fasel, which was inherited from Middle English facelyn (“[of the end of a rope, or of cloth] to unravel”). Middle English facelyn was a verbal derivative of the noun fasylle (“frayed edge”), which was in turn a derivative (with the diminutive suffix -el) of Old English fæs (“fringe, border”), from Proto-West Germanic *fas, from Proto-Germanic *fasōn.

Related to German Faser (“fibre”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɹæz(ə)l/
• Rhymes: -æzəl

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (Southern England):

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Verb

frazzle (third-person singular simple present frazzles, present participle frazzling, simple past and past participle frazzled)

1. (transitive) To fray or wear down, especially at the edges.

   The new puppy has been chewing on everything, and my favorite afghan has become frazzled.

   • 1887, Joel Chandler Harris, Free Joe and Other Georgian Sketches:

     Her hair was of a reddish-gray color, and its frazzled and tangled condition suggested that the woman had recently passed through a period of extreme excitement.

2. (transitive) To drain emotionally or physically.

   After dealing with the children all day, I just can't help feeling frazzled.

Noun

frazzle (plural frazzles)

1. (informal) A burnt fragment; a cinder or crisp.

   The bacon was burned to a frazzle.

2. (informal) The condition or quality of being frazzled; a frayed end.
   • 1886-90, John G. Nicolay and John Hay, Abraham Lincoln: A History

     Gordon had sent word to Lee that he had fought his corps to a frazzle

   • 1897, Rudyard Kipling, Captains Courageous (Chapter III)

     My fingers are all cut to frazzles..

   • 1908, Alice MacGowan, Judith of the Cumberlands, page 29:

     The little girl, a little dancing imp with a frazzle of flying red hair and red-brown eyes.

3. A messy situation or scene.
   • 1980 December 20, Stewart Landers, “Triangle Produces Good Gay Theater”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 22, page 14:

     It ends with a splendid phone conversation between Robin and her mother. Robin (Laura Luz) is a frazzle of choreographed energy as her explanations are obviously leading to more trouble.

   • 2006, Mark Coggins, The Immortal Game, Big Earth Publishing, →ISBN, page 19:

     This is getting to be a real frazzle. We've had more odd characters running around here since that girl moved in than I have the patience to deal with