loose end

noun

1. a part or piece left hanging, unattached, or unused.

   Remind me to tack down that loose end on the stairway carpet.

2. an unsettled detail, as of a business matter.

   The arrangements have been made, except for a few loose ends.

loose end

noun

1. a detail that is left unsettled, unexplained, or incomplete

2. without purpose or occupation

Word History and Origins

Origin of loose end¹

First recorded in 1540–50

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. at loose ends, in an uncertain or unsettled situation or position: Also at a loose end.

   Ever since leaving the company, he's been at loose ends.

Example Sentences

"For all of those people to be at a loose end when this is the charity that is meant to raise them up more than anybody - that's where it's deeply frustrating and really upsetting."

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The screwdrivers are our apps, tightening such loose ends of daily life as banking, calendars, reminders.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“There’s just too many loose ends and too many things that could go awry,” said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond School of Law.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“He didn’t like circumstantial evidence. He felt there were too many loose ends.”

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When the goonies discover their hiding place, the Fratellis plot to snuff out this loose end, causing them to literally dig deeper into the house with the criminals hot on their trail.

Read more on Salon