Frigs

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To engage in sexual activity or to express disregard or annoyance in a mild or non-vulgar manner; to freeze or be very cold; a term used in British English as a euphemistic substitute for a stronger expletive
2. To have intercourse or to show irritation, especially in a lighthearted or less offensive way; to become cold or to chill; a colloquial word replacing harsher swear words typically in informal speech
3. To perform sexual acts or to react with slight anger or frustration often euphemistically; to experience cold temperatures or to stiffen by cold; a slang expression used to soften stronger profanity in casual conversation

Etymology: "Frigs" is simply the third-person singular and plural form of the verb "frig," so its story is really the story of "frig." The verb has deep roots in Middle English "friggen," meaning "to quiver," which may descend from Old English "frygian," meaning "to rub" or "caress." That older sense connects it to a family of Old English words meaning "to love," "to embrace," and "to release," and to Faroese "fríggj," meaning "erotocism" or "flirtation," suggesting the word's associations with physical intimacy run deep. An alternative account links "frig" to Middle English "frikien," meaning "to keep the arms and hands in constant motion," which in turn may come from Old English "frician," meaning "to dance." On this view the word began as a description of restless, fidgeting movement, and the sense of shaking or trembling that survives in "to quiver" fits that picture. Scholars have not settled between the two origins. The sense of "to become cold" is a separate development, and the word is easily confused with "fridge," which is an unrelated shortening of "refrigerator."

Synonyms: has sex, makes love, mates, copulates

Antonyms: abstains, refrains, celibate