Fray

fray
    n 1: a noisy fight [syn: {affray}, {disturbance}, {fray},
         {ruffle}]
    v 1: wear away by rubbing; "The friction frayed the sleeve"
         [syn: {fray}, {frazzle}]
    2: cause friction; "my sweater scratches" [syn: {rub}, {fray},
       {fret}, {chafe}, {scratch}]
    

fray \fray\ (fr[=a]), n. [Abbreviated from affray.]
   An angry quarrel; an affray; contest; combat; broil.
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         Who began this bloody fray?              --Shak.
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Fray \Fray\, n.
   A fret or chafe, as in cloth; a place injured by rubbing.
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Fray \Fray\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Frayed} (fr[=a]d); p. pr. &
   vb. n. {Fraying}.] [See 1st {Fray}, and cf. {Affray}.]
   To frighten; to terrify; to alarm. --I. Taylor.
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         What frays ye, that were wont to comfort me affrayed?
                                                  --Spenser.
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Fray \Fray\, v. t. [Cf. OF. fraier. See {Defray}, v. t.]
   To bear the expense of; to defray. [Obs.]
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         The charge of my most curious and costly ingredients
         frayed, I shall acknowledge myself amply satisfied.
                                                  --Massinger.
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Fray \Fray\, v. t. [OF. freier, fraier, froier, to rub. L.
   fricare; cf. friare to crumble, E. friable; perh. akin to Gr.
   chri`ein to anoint, chri^sma an anointing, Skr. gh[.r]sh to
   rub, scratch. Cf. {Friction}.]
   To rub; to wear off, or wear into shreds, by rubbing; to
   fret, as cloth; as, a deer is said to fray her head.
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Fray \Fray\, v. i.
   1. To rub.
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            We can show the marks he made
            When 'gainst the oak his antlers frayed. --Sir W.
                                                  Scott.
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   2. To wear out or into shreads, or to suffer injury by
      rubbing, as when the threads of the warp or of the woof
      wear off so that the cross threads are loose; to ravel;
      as, the cloth frays badly.
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            A suit of frayed magnificience.       --tennyson.
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153 Moby Thesaurus words for "fray":
      ablate, abrade, abrase, abrasion, action, aerial combat, affray,
      altercation, armored combat, bark, battle, battle royal, blemish,
      bloody, brawl, break, broil, brush, bullfight, burn, chafe, check,
      chip, clash, clash of arms, claw, cockfight, combat, concussion,
      conflict, contention, crack, crackle, craze, cut, discord, dispute,
      dissension, disturbance, dogfight, donnybrook, embroilment, erase,
      erode, exchange of blows, fight, file, fire fight, flash burn,
      fracas, fracture, frazzle, fret, gall, gash, gnaw, gnaw away,
      grate, graze, grind, ground combat, hand-to-hand combat,
      hand-to-hand fight, house-to-house combat, hurt, incise, incision,
      injure, injury, lacerate, laceration, lesion, maim,
      make mincemeat of, maul, melee, mortal wound, mutilate, mutilation,
      naval combat, passage of arms, pierce, pitched battle, puncture,
      quarrel, rasp, ravel, raze, rend, rent, rip, row, rub, rub away,
      rub off, rub out, ruckus, ruction, rumble, rumpus, run,
      running fight, rupture, savage, scald, scorch, scotch, scour,
      scramble, scrape, scratch, scrimmage, scrub, scuff, scuffle,
      second-degree burn, shoving match, shred, skin, skirmish, slash,
      slit, sore, sprain, stab, stab wound, stand-up fight, stick,
      strain, street fight, strife, struggle, tatter, tauromachy, tear,
      third-degree burn, trauma, traumatize, tug-of-war, tussle, unravel,
      wear, wear away, wear down, wear off, wear out, wear ragged,
      wear thin, weather, wound, wounds immedicable, wrangle, wrench