What does the cryptic crossword clue "Saying a few words, starts to come apart (5)" mean?

The definition is "starts to come apart". The wordplay uses a homophone (sounds like). Homophone of “phrase” (a few words) The answer is FRAYS.

Saying a few words, starts to come apart (5)

Guardian Cryptic #26703 | 23 Down | 2015-10-15 flower