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frit

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Either from French fritte, from frit (“fried”), or else from Italian fritta f (“fried”).

Noun

frit (countable and uncountable, plural frits)

  1. A fused mixture of materials used to make glass.
  2. (archaeology) A similar material used in the manufacture of ceramic beads and small ornaments. (eastern Mediterranean; Bronze and Iron Age)
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

frit (third-person singular simple present frits, present participle fritting, simple past and past participle fritted)

  1. To add frit to a glass or ceramic mixture
  2. To prepare by heat (the materials for making glass); to fuse partially.
    • 1831, Benjamin Silliman, Elements of Chemistry:
      equal parts of the calcined and roasted ore, of ground flints and potash, are fritted together and then fused

Etymology 2

Dialectal past participle of fright (“frighten”), formed on the model of bite:bit and light:lit. Compare the parallel formation fit (“fought”).

By the late 20th century, largely confined to the Lincolnshire dialect, but adopted into political slang in the 1980s from the speeches of Grantham-born Margaret Thatcher.

Adjective

frit (comparative more frit, superlative most frit)

  1. (UK, regional, now especially politics) Frightened.
    • 1983 Margaret Thatcher, Prime minister's questions, 19 April:
      The right hon. Gentleman is afraid of an election, is he? Afraid? Frightened? Frit? Could not take it? Cannot stand it? If I were going to cut and run, I should have gone after the Falklands.
    • 2016, Alan Moore, Jerusalem, Liveright, published 2016, page 272:
      “We shoulder life. We know its ins and outs. We've felt the draught at either end of it. What you're most frit of, that's our bread and jam, and none of us ain't got no time to spare on ignorant, bad-mannered little boys.”

Noun

frit (plural frits)

  1. (UK politics, derogatory) A politician who does not perform some action (for example answering a question or calling a vote) out of fear of losing.
    • 2022, Peter Fortune, “Impact of ULEZ expansion and road charging (Supplementary)”, in Questions to the Mayor (London Assembly)‎:
      Why are you not going to bother? You are scared? You are a frit? Is that the problem?

Etymology 3

Noun

frit (plural frits)

  1. A frit fly.

See also

Anagrams

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Danish

Adjective

frit

  1. neuter singular of fri

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French, from Latin frīctus.

Pronunciation

Participle

frit (feminine frite, masculine plural frits, feminine plural frites)

  1. past participle of frire

Adjective

frit (feminine frite, masculine plural frits, feminine plural frites)

  1. fried

See also

Further reading

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Latin

Norman

Old Irish

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