Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US black) to rush away, to leave fast.

1902		Ade Forty Modern Fables 172: All you wanted to do was tear out with those Toughs.
1911		G. Bronson-Howard 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.
1914		E. Dyson Spats’ Fact’ry (1922) 94: Johno tore out, with a Red Indian yell.
1927		E.C.L. Adams Congaree Sketches 65: Great God, dat’s when I would er tored out.
1946		Mezzrow & Wolfe Really the Blues 20: That night I tore out for The Corner, to take up my old civilian post in the poolroom.
1948		J. Evans Halo For Satan (1949) 200: Then I got my brainstorm [...] then went tearing out there myself.
1970		T. Parker Frying-Pan 10: I tore out of town, up the Watford by-pass.
1981		J. Ellroy Brown’s Requiem 33: She returned seconds later, practically running to her Cadillac. She tore out.

a thug, a bully.

1611		Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girle V i: I am called by those that have seen my valour, Tearcat.
1664		C. Cotton 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.

1894		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.
1900		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.

1900		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.
1901		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.
1904		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.

1889

Dead Bird (Sydney) 28 Sept. 2/2: His fondness for pewters of teargut and nobblers of bone-melter, miscalled brandy.

a womanizer.

1672

J. Phillips Maronides (1678) V 6: I never knew such huffing tear-smocks.

see separate entries.

1. (US) to reprimand severely, to attack verbally.

1890		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.
1953		S. Bellow Augie March (1996) 189: Don’t tear yourself down.
1965		C. Brown Manchild in the Promised Land (1969) 341: These guys were tearing down anything that was white.
1974		Coward et al. Psychologist With a Gun 104: ‘Sometimes I think I could kill her. She keeps tearing me down in front of the children’.
1999		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.

1904

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).

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.
1948		(con. 1944) N. Mailer Naked and Dead 49: What the hell do you mean by busting in here and tearing down this orderly room.
1998		Guardian G2 6 Aug. 11 n.p.: When I deejay I go out there and I tear down the stage.
2001		Eble 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.’.
2012		M. Lacher On the Bro’d 63: I knew we were gonna straight-up tear it down in San Fran.

4. to depress.

1953		L. Uris Battle Cry (1964) 147: Nothing tears a guy down so fast as no news or bad news.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Mama Black Widow 12: The visit to Mama had torn me down inside.

5. to destroy.

1982		(con. 1970) J.M. Del Vecchio 13th Valley (1983) 166: The people ain’t gowin stand fo it. We gowin tear him down.
1994		M. Montague 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

1909		‘Ian Hay’ 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 .
1923		Kipling ‘A Madonna of the Trenches’ in 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.
1936		‘George Orwell’ Keep The Aspidistra Flying (1962) 252: So that was that. He had torn it now, right enough.
1948		C. Day Lewis Otterbury Incident 102: Well, that tore it.
1953		T. Runyon In For Life 145: ‘That tears it,’ I told Bradley.
1960		H.E. Bates When the Green Woods Laugh (1985) 297: Not sure you haven’t gone and torn it now.
1971		Wodehouse Much Obliged, Jeeves 174: This tears it.
1977		Rolling Stone 22 Sept. 13: That tears it.
1986		J. Ellroy Silent Terror 67: Your bust tears it, I guess.
1996		(con. 1949) G. Pelecanos Big Blowdown (1999) 192: ‘He told me to go to hell.’ [...] ‘Well, I guess that tears it.’.
2001		(con. 1964–8) J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand 4: ‘Junior’ tore it. ‘Leave me alone. I’m not what you want.’.
2024		R. Sullivan Devil’s Best Trick 140: A number of people in Childress [...] thought the ‘Baby Murder Case’ was what had torn it for Sheriff Bowen, who announced his retirement soon after.

(W.I.) a fantastic performance.

1995

Francis-Jackson Official Dancehall Dict. 52: Tear-it-down a smashing performance.

see tear up v. (2)

(US black) to escape from a person or situation.

1913		J. London 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.
1970		J. Wambaugh New Centurions 320: ‘The riot is starting [...] they’re ready to rip loose’.
1981		W.D. Myers Hoops 53: You guys can play some ball [...] When he said that, when he let it all out, we just tore loose.
1983		R. Klein Jailhouse Jargon and Street Sl. [unpub. ms.].

see separate entries.

(US) to injure oneself, thus fig. to get into trouble.

1947		M.H. Boulware Jive and Sl. n.p.: Tore your pants ... Committed a fau pas.
1962		(con. WWII) J.O. Killens 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.
1964		R. Abrahams 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.’.
1967		M. Braly 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.

1903		H. Hapgood Autobiog. of a Thief 68: A mob of ‘knucks’ [...] had been ‘tearing open’ the Third Avenue cars outside of the Post Office.
1952		C. Hamilton Men of the Und. 325: Tear open, To rob on an extensive scale.

see tear someone a new asshole v.

see separate entry.

to shock intensely.

1981

Eble 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.

2001

‘BillAMJ’ ‘What a freakin’ disgrace’ posting 26 Oct. on ‘Flyers Central’ at Yahoo! Groups 🌐 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!

(US black) to render someone’s life unhappy or unpleasant.

1920		Latest Blues by Columbia Race Stars 10: I’m gonna tear your playhouse down.
1928		H. Thomas ‘Bull Doze Blues’ 🎵When I catch a man with my woman I usually tear his playhouse down.
1946		Big Maceo ‘Maceo’s 32-20’ lyrics] When I catch a man with my woman, I usually tear his playhouse down.
1958		Hughes & Bontemps Book of Negro Folklore 381: Way down in Polock town / Where de police an’ de snitchers, dey tore my playhouse down.
1985		Billboard 16 Nov. 54: I’M GONNA TEAR YOUR PLAYHOUSE DOWN PAUL YOUNG.
1992		D. Klimek For What It’s Worth 162: Charlie knows for certain we are here to tear his playhouse down.
2000		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.

see tear someone up for arse-paper v.

to destroy completely, to render useless.

1983		(con. 1940s) D. Nobbs 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.
1998		P. McCabe Breakfast on Pluto 9: Stop tearing the arse out of that turkey!
2000		J.J. Connolly 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.

see blow the/someone’s doors off under blow v.¹

to finish with a person or thing.

1923

J. Manchon Le Slang.

see tear down

see take to the tall timber(s) under tall timber n.

see separate entries.

see tear up v. (2)

see tear up the pea patch v.

see separate entry.

that has ruined it, that has spoiled it.

1922		A. Christie Secret Adversary (1955) 26: ‘That’s torn it,’ said Tommy.
1934		D.L. Sayers Nine Tailors (1984) 3: ‘That’s torn it!’ said Lord Peter Wimsey.
1942		Whizzbang Comics 42: Coo! That’s torn it!
1958		D. Stivens 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.
1960		‘Nino Culotta’ Cop This Lot 93: That’s torn it [...] Better get outa here.
1988		T. Jones Curse of the Vampire Socks 29: ‘That’s torn it!’ said the Kangaroo.
2005		B. Hare Urban Grimshaw 225: Fucking hell [...] That’s torn it.
2012		(con. 1943) G.S. Manson Coorparoo Blues [ebook] Shit, that’s torn it.