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From: gam@amdahl.UUCP (gam)
Newsgroups: net.misc,net.nlang
Subject: Re: Where does "on the fritz" come from?
Message-ID: <971@amdahl.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 18-Jan-85 04:38:04 EST
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Posted: Fri Jan 18 04:38:04 1985
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Xref: watmath net.misc:7313 net.nlang:2441

> Does anyone know the origin of the phrase:
> "It's on the fritz"?

I couldn't find where it came from, but the first usage I
found was 1928: "That glycerine was on the fritz..." (American
Mercury, Aug, 487/2.).

The first use of "fritz" as a verb was in 1948.

"Fritz" was a common name for a German soldier (mostly used by
British soldiers) during WWI; don't know how this ties in, if it
does.
-- 
Gordon A. Moffett		...!{ihnp4,hplabs,sun}!amdahl!gam