Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To wear away along the edges; fray.
- intransitive verb To exhaust physically or emotionally.
- intransitive verb To become worn away along the edges.
- intransitive verb To become exhausted physically or emotionally.
- noun A frayed or tattered condition.
- noun A condition of exhaustion.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To ravel out, as the edge of a fabric; unravel; fray.
- To wear, as by hard usage, into shreds, rags, or tatters; fray out; tear to pieces.
- noun A shred; a tatter; a frayed rag; a frayed or worn-out condition: as, to be worn to a frazzle.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Prov. Eng. & U. S. The act or result of frazzling; the condition or quality of being frazzled; the tag end; a frayed-out end.
- noun a state of extreme exhaustion; -- often used in the phrase worn to a frazzle.
- transitive verb Prov. Eng. & U. S. To fray; to wear or pull into tatters or tag ends; to tatter; -- used literally and figuratively.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To fray or wear down, especially at the edges.
- verb To drain emotionally or physically
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a state of extreme exhaustion
- verb exhaust physically or emotionally
- verb wear away by rubbing
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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The escape of even a "frazzle" of the 5th Corps was due to their superhuman energy and exertions.
History of the Gatling Gun Detachment John Henry Parker
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My brother, who was one of them, told me that at the time the white flag was raised by Gen. Lee this same "frazzle" was driving the enemy in its front!
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They worked so hard having a good time all day, and late into the evening, that they were ‘worn to a frazzle’ when Monday morning came.
A Renegade History of the United States Thaddeus Russell 2010
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Obama did not do that to you, GWB/Cheney did a good job of screwing the country to a frazzle.
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I could do wonders with that crimson frazzle of yours.
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If all the railroad boys had come out, wouldn't the shop men have won instead of bein 'licked to a frazzle?
CHAPTER XII 2010
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So young was he that he quickly became footsore, and she carried him until Billy perched him on top of his pack and grumbled that Possum was chewing his back hair to a frazzle.
CHAPTER XII 2010
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NOW clown him acrobatic descent spread him bubblegum carpet frazzle him gutter kebab cosy him comatose pocket soak him leaking bladder warm him reeking arse speed him indecent teeth will tear him apart
Ornamental Onion (Armies of Me) Penny Goring 2011
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The ladies of "The View" worked Barbara Walters up into a frenzied frazzle on Thursday's show.
Barbara Walters Gets Worked Up Over 'Most Fascinating' List On 'The View' (VIDEO) 2011
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You will not see my hand made clothes in a second hand shop or garage sale, because I will first of all, wear them to a frazzle, then made something else from them, and if there is any wear left, crochet a rug or use it for something else.
Sew Pink 2009
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