On the fritz

Nobody knows for sure where we got the phrase "on the fritz." It appeared as early as 1902. It has always been a phrase that is applied to something that has stopped working. For example, my TV is on the fritz; my stove is on the fritz; my brain is on the fritz.

There are two camps as to its origin. One camp says that the term refers to all things German. As their proof, they say that the Germans were known derogatorily as "Fritz" during both world wars. In their line of thinking, "on the fritz" is a derisive term for something that is poorly run, manufactured, or maintained.

The opposing camp doesn't know where the term started, but they point out that the term was in use long before World War I. In their view, the term predates the wars, and therefore, it could not have come from our disdain for the Germans.

I have no proof, but I side with the first camp. I figure that if we were calling the Germans "Fritz" in World War I, then we were probably calling them "Fritz" even before the war started.

That's just my opinion.