Fray...

the haunting word of the moment is Fray...popped up twice yesterday...once at work and then on tv as I was about to fall asleep...so...once again...I looked it up...cause didn't know what it meant...interesting

fray ¹

n.

1. A scuffle; a brawl. See Synonyms at brawl.

2. A heated dispute or contest.

tr.v. frayed, fray·ing, frays Archaic

1. To alarm; frighten.

2. To drive away.

---

fray (ANNOYED) Show phonetics
verb [I]
If your temper frays or your nerves fray, you gradually become upset or annoyed:
Tempers frayed as thousands of motorists began the Christmas holiday with long waits in traffic jams.

Definition

fray:

to start to become less effective or successful:
Without the unifying forces of the army and the monarchy, it seems, the nation would begin to fray at the edges.