Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US) to criticize someone severely; thus ass-cutting n., criticism.

1947		C. Willingham End as a Man (1952) 35: Then Hagan asked him how he’d like it if there wasn’t any more ass-cutting for a whole month. [Ibid.] 202: I guess I’ll have to cut his ass this afternoon when we go off guard.
1965		C. Himes Cotton Comes to Harlem (1967) 145: ‘Got your ass torn, eh, buddy?’ ‘Yeah, the boss man got salty.’.
1969		H. Rap Brown Die Nigger Die! 78: The police came in there with that white attitude. So I used to just rip their ass.
1991		B. Hamper Rivethead (1992) 16: When I was at St. Luke’s, he tore at my ass relentlessly.

2. (W.I., Guyn.) to thrash severely, to flog; usu. with out or up.

1934		H. Roth Call It Sleep (1977) 309: An’ I hope de biggest moider boogey man tears yuh ass out.
1964		R. Abrahams Deep Down In The Jungle 148: Then he jumped in his stomach and stepped on his face / And tore his ass hole clean out of place.
1977		Ben-Veniste & Frampton Stonewall 345: ‘Boy,’ said the crusty Wilson to Mitchell’s lawyer, William Hundley, ‘let me tear the ass off that kid Dean first’.
1989		Hackworth & Sherman About Face (1991) 85: He was a former division heavyweight champion [...] and he tore my ass.
1999		J. Ridley Love Is a Racket 416: I’m ’bout to tear yo ass up!
2016		Mother Jones July/Aug. 🌐 That Crip boy go’ to tear his ass up [...] Your work partner going to get stabbed.

3. (US) in fig. use, e.g., to lose when gambling.

1967		M. Braly On the Yard (2002) 161: If you got your ass torn up every time you shot craps, after a while you’d put craps down and maybe try low ball.
1991		Ice Cube ‘No Vaseline’ 🎵 on Death Certificate [album] It ain’t my fault, one nigga got smart, / And they rippin’ your asshole apart. / By takin’ your green, oh yeah, / The villain does get fucked with no vaseline.