fretty
1 Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of fretty1
First recorded in 1835–45; fret 1 + -y 1
Origin of fretty2
1555–65; < Middle French frette, derivative of frete trelliswork. See fret 2, -ee
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Miss Lizzy, she gets fretty, but she still the same Miss Lizzy.
From "Girls Like Us" by Gail Giles
Ecclesiastical vestments were often trimmed with heavy gold fringe, knotted "fretty wise," and the embroideries were further enriched with jewels and small plaques of enamel.
From Arts and Crafts in the Middle Ages A Description of Mediaeval Workmanship in Several of the Departments of Applied Art, Together with Some Account of Special Artisans in the Early Renaissance by Julia de Wolf Gibbs Addison
From Hithe to Bulverhithe, fretty man an' maid, ailin' woman an' wailin' child, they took the advantage of the change in the thin airs just about as soon as the Pharisees flitted.
From Puck of Pook's Hill by Rudyard Kipling
Even as he spoke, a toddling youngster from an overcrowded seat at the front end of the car came adventuring along the aisle after the swaying, clutching manner of tired, fretty children on trains.
From The Indiscreet Letter by Eleanor Hallowell Abbott
Their captain shouted his orders to them by name, and it is a curious thing that if you call his name aloud in public after an Englishman you make him hot and fretty.
From The Day's Work - Volume 1 by Rudyard Kipling
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
