A German person, usually male.
"The old radio was in such a fritz that it barely produced any sound."
The state of being defective.
In plain English: A fritz is an old-fashioned term for a foolish person who makes silly mistakes.
"The old radio made a loud fritz sound before going off completely."
To go wrong or become defective.
"The old clock started to fritz after a few years of heavy use."
In plain English: To fritz something means to ruin it by making careless mistakes while trying to fix or improve it.
"The old car will start to fritz if you leave the key in too long without turning it off properly."
A name used to represent the German people (particularly the German armed forces) as a group.
"The term was often used in American cartoons of World War II to label any German soldier simply as Fritz."
The word fritz comes from the German name Fritz, which is a familiar or affectionate shortening of Friedrich. This nickname for Frederick traveled into English to become a common term for a man.