fried 1. (hardware) Non-working due to hardware failure; burnt out. Especially used of hardware brought down by a "power glitch" (see glitch), drop-outs, a short, or some other electrical event. (Sometimes this literally happens to electronic circuits! In particular, resistors can burn out and transformers can melt down, emitting noxious smoke - see friode, SED and LER. However, this term is also used metaphorically.) Compare frotzed.
2. (jargon) Of people, exhausted. Said particularly of those who continue to work in such a state. Often used as an explanation or excuse. "Yeah, I know that fix destroyed the file system, but I was fried when I put it in." Especially common in conjunction with "brain": "My brain is fried today, I'm very short on sleep." [Jargon File] Last updated: 1996-04-28
