I Spy Something Beginning with FR Quiz

Answer: Fraught

FR = aught = fraught. Aught derives from Old English, and can also be used to denote zero. It is not commonly used these days, and is seen as old fashioned, but does appear in Victorian literature as in 'do you know aught about this?'.
Fraught means something that causes anxiety, and can be used to describe an uncomfortable relationship - fraught with tension. It derives from the Middle English word 'fraughten', meaning to load.

Answer: Frail

FR + ail + frail. Ail is another word from an Old English word meaning 'to trouble'. Ail can refer to a physical illness or something that is worrying you. Frail comes from Old French, and can mean a physical weakness or a moral one.

Answer: Fragile

FR + agile = fragile. Agile came into English from Latin, via French and refers to someone active or supple. Fragile comes via the same route, from the Latin and French words meaning 'to break'.

Answer: Friend

FR + I + end = friend. I is another word to describe an individual, and the end is the finish of any activity. Friend is from the Old English, when it was spelled 'freond'. Other synonyms are crony, comrade and chum.

Answer: Frowning

FR + owning = frowning. Owning means belonging to a specific person or group. Frowning can denote displeasure or concentration, as in 'a furrowed brow'. The word comes from the Old French word 'froignier', meaning to knit the brow.

Answer: Frantic

FR + antic = frantic. An antic is a prank or joke, normally meant to amuse, but sometimes malicious. The word comes from the Italian, where it referred to something grotesque or old. Frantic can mean wildly excited as well as describing someone overcome with rage or grief. It shares its roots with frenetic and frenzy.

Answer: Fracking

FR + AC + king. AC is the standard abbreviation for Alternating Current. A king is a male monarch. Fracking has passed into common usage for the system of hydraulic fracturing, which is a means of extracting gas, oil or other useful substances from the ground.

The system has led to controversy and protests from conservationists. The word itself is a shorthand version of the technical term.

Answer: Freight

FR + eight = freight. Eight is one of the cardinal numbers, with the word originally being the Anglian word aehta. Freight probably came into English usage from Old Dutch 'vrecht'. As well as referring to the actual goods carried, the word 'freight' can also be used for the fee paid for the carriage.

Answer: Frill

FR + ill = frill. The word 'ill' can be used for feeling unwell and also for 'evil' or 'wicked' as in 'to bear ill will towards someone'. A frill is a decorative, often gathered, edging on clothing or soft furnishings, and the derivation is not known. It can also be used in the opposite sense in a more general way, as in 'there are no frills' to describe something plain or basic.

Answer: Fraction

FR + action = fraction. Action comes from the Latin word 'actionem' and can be defined as the 'exertion of energy or influence'. Expressions using the word include 'men of action' or 'action stations'. A fraction can be a number which is not a whole, or a small amount of something. The origin of the word is the Latin 'frangere' meaning 'to break', which also gives us the word 'fracture'.