loose end

noun

1. a part or piece left hanging, unattached, or unused:

   Remind me to tack down that loose end on the stairway carpet.

2. an unsettled detail, as of a business matter:

   The arrangements have been made, except for a few loose ends.

loose end

noun

1. a detail that is left unsettled, unexplained, or incomplete
2. at a loose end
   without purpose or occupation

Word History and Origins

Origin of loose end¹

First recorded in 1540–50

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. at loose ends, in an uncertain or unsettled situation or position: Also at a loose end.

   Ever since leaving the company, he's been at loose ends.

Example Sentences

“A loose end is one way that Isaac put it,” said Burnett at his guilty-plea hearing.

From The Daily Beast

Burnett said that Aguigui called the killings a “loose end.”

From The Daily Beast

He passed a miserable week, unable to work, at a loose end in London during the height of the season.

From Project Gutenberg

And like the young professional man at a loose end, I made a pretence of looking through papers.

From Project Gutenberg

Then I sat down at a loose end, very much like a young professional man, doctor or estate-agent, waiting for the next client.

From Project Gutenberg

The string's tangled up about as bad as it was before, but I believe you're gettin' hold of the loose end.

From Project Gutenberg

The loose end of the tracing line, about an inch thick, was hanging near me.

From Project Gutenberg