tear v.
to rush around excitedly or energetically.
Old Law (1656) V i: The nimble fencer this, that made me tear And traverse ’bout the chamber? | ||
Works (1709) V i: (Stage direct.) Enter tearing in Pasithas . | Aglaura in||
Wits Paraphras’d 75: What tearing sparks the Ladies be. | ||
Trial of Elizabeth Canning in Howell State Trials (1816) 485: I was wringing my hands and tearing about, and she advised me to go to the cunning man. | ||
Revenge I ii: All the Gods shall hear / How you spend your nights, Sir: / Drinking, swearing, / Roaring, tearing, / Wenching, roving ev’ry where. | ||
Diary and Letters (1904) I 303: I cannot bear to see Othello tearing about in that violent manner. | ||
‘The Coalheaver’s Feast’ Fun Alive O! 59: Dancing and tearing / Prancing and swearing. | ||
Christmas Carol (1868) 42: And now two smaller Cratchits, boy and girl, came tearing in. | ||
Upper Ten Thousand 25: He tears along behind him a sleigh of the commonest construction. | ||
(con. 1840s–50s) London Labour and London Poor I 467/2: He went about tearing and swearing ‘like one o’clock.’. | ||
Robbery Under Arms (1922) 260: A cove comes tearing up at full bat. | ||
Hooligan Nights 9: We saw the butcher tearin’ up and down. | ||
More Fables in Sl. (1960) 171: She [...] would wave the Housework to one side and tear for a Trolley. | ||
Marvel 27 Oct. 386: We’re simply tearing along. | ||
‘Troubles of two Working Girls’ in S.F. Chron. 8 June 31/3: There’s the dearest set of puffs, your exact shade [...] yuh’d be a complete sucker not to tear for that store this minute! | ||
Berry and Co 15: In her wake tore a gesticulating trooper. | ||
Plastic Age 288: She has been going an awful pace, tearing around like crazy. | ||
(con. 1910s) Studs Lonigan (1936) 103: And when I come tearin’ along, you run too. | Young Lonigan in||
Gilt Kid 275: That ought to make the bogys go tearing all over the West End looking for him. | ||
High Window 194: A car tore down the street much too fast and skidded around the next corner. | ||
One Lonely Night 37: I [...] settled back against the cushions while we tore across town. | ||
Long Wait (1954) 148: One minute they’re here an’ the next they’re tearing around the city. | ||
Norman’s London (1969) 43: The geezer who owned it tearing down the street behind me. | in Bristol Eve. Post 27 Nov. in||
Inside Daisy Clover (1966) 25: She tore up the beach. | ||
Decadence in Decadence and Other Plays (1985) 7: I’ve been so bored tearing round to find just what would enchant you. | ||
Online Sl. Dict. 🌐 tear v 1. to leave quickly. (‘You ready to go? Let’s tear.’). | ||
Filth 131: I [...] hit the siren as I tear down Leith Walk. |
In phrases
(US black) to rush away, to leave fast.
Forty Modern Fables 172: All you wanted to do was tear out with those Toughs. | ||
Enemy to Society 314: Oh, you’re one of those fellows that work by the clock, are you? Wash your hands at quarter to three so you’ll be ready to tear out when it strikes. | ||
Spats’ Fact’ry (1922) 94: Johno tore out, with a Red Indian yell. | ||
Congaree Sketches 65: Great God, dat’s when I would er tored out. | ||
Really the Blues 20: That night I tore out for The Corner, to take up my old civilian post in the poolroom. | ||
Halo For Satan (1949) 200: Then I got my brainstorm [...] then went tearing out there myself. | ||
Frying-Pan 10: I tore out of town, up the Watford by-pass. | ||
Brown’s Requiem 33: She returned seconds later, practically running to her Cadillac. She tore out. |
SE in slang uses
In compounds
a thug, a bully.
Roaring Girle V i: I am called by those that have seen my valour, Tearcat. | ||
Virgil Travestie (1765) Bk I 13: A huffing Jack, a plund’ring Tearer, / A vap’ring Scab, and a great Swearer. |
1. (Aus.) a confidence trickster.
Truth (Sydney) 9 Dec. 6/4: When S. saw D [...] cramming his winnings into his pockets [...] he tumbled that he was a copper-fastened flat. Of such are the kingdom of tear-downs and compared to which the ordinary gun is only an amateur. | ||
Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 5 Dec. 1/4: This commission, tale-teller, tear-down, or whatever he may be, chats Fishy the brass is on Kitty Wger at a good price. |
2. (Aus.) a fraud, an act of cheating, thus attrib.
Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 3 Oct. 1/1: Keep your gig-lamps on the outwardly respectable, but inwardly sultry, crowd whose cash and position enables them to jerk-off tear-downs as strong as dynamite. | ||
Sydney Sportsman (Surrey Hills, NSW) 6 Nov. 4/3: Even with the tear-down odds and the cronk draw, Ah Fat’'s box of tricks are not exhausted. | ||
Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 6 July 4/2: every week provides its tear-down, cop-out, roaring ramp, ring in, or some such delightful doing. |
(Aus.) rough whisky.
Dead Bird (Sydney) 28 Sept. 2/2: His fondness for pewters of teargut and nobblers of bone-melter, miscalled brandy. |
a womanizer.
Maronides (1678) V 6: I never knew such huffing tear-smocks. |
In phrases
see separate entries.
1. (US) to reprimand severely, to attack verbally.
Bird o’ Freedom 22 Jan. 3: That arrangement has stood for a great many years, and I don’t intend to let you tear it down. | ||
Augie March (1996) 189: Don’t tear yourself down. | ||
Manchild in the Promised Land (1969) 341: These guys were tearing down anything that was white. | ||
et al. Psychologist With a Gun 104: ‘Sometimes I think I could kill her. She keeps tearing me down in front of the children’. | ||
Guardian Guide 2–8 Oct. 6: It’s easy to tear these places down, to make fun of them. |
2. (Aus.) to defraud, e.g. of a bookmaker.
Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 29 June 4/2: I consoled with the torn-town tugs, reminding them that they still had beautifully printed tickets, showing splendid odds. |
3. (also tear it down, tear the place down) to demonstrate great emotion, to act intensely and wildly; also as adj. (see cite 1834).
Cork Constitution 11 Sept. 4/1: [of a popular preacher] That’s what I call a real tear-down sneezer; he’s bark-well and hold fast too; he doesn’t honey it up to ’em and mince his words — he lets it down [...] hot and heavy. | ||
(con. 1944) Naked and Dead 49: What the hell do you mean by busting in here and tearing down this orderly room. | ||
Guardian G2 6 Aug. 11 n.p.: When I deejay I go out there and I tear down the stage. | ||
Campus Sl. Fall 11: TEAR THE PLACE DOWN – have a wild party: ‘Hey man, you shoulda been at Players’ last night. We TORE THE PLACE DOWN.’. | ||
On the Bro’d 63: I knew we were gonna straight-up tear it down in San Fran. |
4. to depress.
Battle Cry (1964) 147: Nothing tears a guy down so fast as no news or bad news. | ||
Mama Black Widow 12: The visit to Mama had torn me down inside. |
5. to destroy.
(con. 1970) 13th Valley (1983) 166: The people ain’t gowin stand fo it. We gowin tear him down. | ||
Dread Culture 86: Studio Seven Hifi. It a tear down Yard now. Boysie send me di tapes dem. |
see tear into v. (1)
see separate entry.
to spoil one’s chances, to put an end to one’s plans etc; esp. in phr. that’s torn it
Man’s Man 320: He had good reason for his absence [...] but a reason is not always accepted as an excuse. ‘I’ve fairly torn it, this time!’ he reflected morosely . | ||
Debits and Credits (1926) 258: That tore it, d’ye see? As long as I could think, I had kep’ tellin’ myself it was like those things you lectured about at Arras [...] the Angels of Mons, and so on. But that wire tore it. | ‘A Madonna of the Trenches’ in||
Keep The Aspidistra Flying (1962) 252: So that was that. He had torn it now, right enough. | ||
Otterbury Incident 102: Well, that tore it. | ||
In For Life 145: ‘That tears it,’ I told Bradley. | ||
When the Green Woods Laugh (1985) 297: Not sure you haven’t gone and torn it now. | ||
Much Obliged, Jeeves 174: This tears it. | ||
Rolling Stone 22 Sept. 13: That tears it. | ||
Silent Terror 67: Your bust tears it, I guess. | ||
(con. 1949) Big Blowdown (1999) 192: ‘He told me to go to hell.’ [...] ‘Well, I guess that tears it.’. | ||
(con. 1964–8) Cold Six Thousand 4: ‘Junior’ tore it. ‘Leave me alone. I’m not what you want.’. |
(W.I.) a fantastic performance.
Official Dancehall Dict. 52: Tear-it-down a smashing performance. |
see tear up v. (2)
(US black) to escape from a person or situation.
Valley of the Moon (1914) 175: It wasn’t until after she died that I could rip loose an’ take or leave as I felt like it. | ||
New Centurions 320: ‘The riot is starting [...] they’re ready to rip loose’. | ||
Hoops 53: You guys can play some ball [...] When he said that, when he let it all out, we just tore loose. | ||
Jailhouse Jargon and Street Sl. [unpub. ms.]. |
see separate entries.
(US) to injure oneself, thus fig. to get into trouble.
Jive and Sl. n.p.: Tore your pants ... Committed a fau pas. | ||
(con. WWII) And Then We Heard The Thunder (1964) 61: You didn’t let me go back into that cracker town and tear my royal ass again. | ||
Deep Down In The Jungle 131: But you know you done tore your ass when you fucked my hole. [Ibid.] 157: The monkey’s last words as he was dying, / ‘I tore my ass by signifying.’. | ||
On the Yard (2002) 277: ‘I think you tore your ass this time,’ Olson continued. ‘And what’s that supposed to mean?’. |
(US Und.) to rob extensively.
Autobiog. of a Thief 68: A mob of ‘knucks’ [...] had been ‘tearing open’ the Third Avenue cars outside of the Post Office. | ||
Men of the Und. 325: Tear open, To rob on an extensive scale. |
see separate entry.
to shock intensely.
Campus Sl. Fall 7: torn out of my frame – startled, surprised: That test was so hard it tore me out of my frame. |
see separate entry.
(US) to defeat, to thrash.
🌐 Barber needs to tear someone’s meathouse down. The skaters on the Flyers hung not just one, but both goalies out to dry last night! | ‘What a freakin’ disgrace’ posting 26 Oct. on ‘Flyers Central’ at Yahoo! Groups
(US black) to render someone’s life unhappy or unpleasant.
Latest Blues by Columbia Race Stars 10: I’m gonna tear your playhouse down. | ||
🎵When I catch a man with my woman I usually tear his playhouse down. | ‘Bull Doze Blues’||
‘Maceo’s 32-20’ lyrics] When I catch a man with my woman, I usually tear his playhouse down. | ||
Book of Negro Folklore 381: Way down in Polock town / Where de police an’ de snitchers, dey tore my playhouse down. | ||
Billboard 16 Nov. 54: I’M GONNA TEAR YOUR PLAYHOUSE DOWN PAUL YOUNG. | ||
For What It’s Worth 162: Charlie knows for certain we are here to tear his playhouse down. | ||
Creative Non-Fiction 14-15255: Hosea had been out there for seven hours, calling Ramsey Clark a criminal and [...] threatening to tear his playhouse down. |
see separate entry.
to destroy completely, to render useless.
(con. 1940s) Second From Last in the Sack Race 99: She’d have torn t’ bollocks off me if she’d known I’d gone to t’ Navigation. | ||
Breakfast on Pluto 9: Stop tearing the arse out of that turkey! | ||
Layer Cake 8: Making sure the gear’s up to scratch and when we cut it we don’t completely tear the arse outta it. |
to finish with a person or thing.
Le Slang. |
see tear down
see separate entries.
see tear up v. (2)
see separate entry.
that has ruined it, that has spoiled it.
Secret Adversary (1955) 26: ‘That’s torn it,’ said Tommy. | ||
Nine Tailors (1984) 3: ‘That’s torn it!’ said Lord Peter Wimsey. | ||
Whizzbang Comics 42: Coo! That’s torn it! | ||
Scholarly Mouse and other Tales 1: That’s torn it! As soon as that mug inside wakes up and realizes that I can talk, he’ll lead me a man’s life. | ||
Cop This Lot 93: That’s torn it [...] Better get outa here. | ||
Curse of the Vampire Socks 29: ‘That’s torn it!’ said the Kangaroo. | ||
Urban Grimshaw 225: Fucking hell [...] That’s torn it. | ||
(con. 1943) Coorparoo Blues [ebook] Shit, that’s torn it. |