Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Irish) to reduce to rags and tatters, both lit. and fig., thus flitters n., bits and pieces.

1833		A. Greene Life and Adventures of Dr Dodimus Duckworth II 43: My ribs are all smashed in, and my liver torn to flitters.
1844		Ulster Gaz. 30 Dec. 4/2: He kicked the cart all to flitters.
1927		P. O’Donnell Islanders (1933) 133: Another summer I fished in Portnoo, I was near torn to flitters with fleas.
1987		L. Redmond Emerald Square 140: ‘Wait till Linda gets yeh,’ he whispered. ‘An’ Sis ... an’ Maura ... an’ Rosie ... they’ll flitther yeh. An’ me mother sez she’ll break yer bloody face!’.
1989		H. Leonard Out after Dark 91: It was common knowledge that Englishwomen, their morals in flitters from six years of war, were coming to Ireland to eat farm eggs and butter.
1991		B. Quinn Smokey Hollow 53: You can’t be let out on a simple message but one of you comes back in flitters.