ripsnorter

American  

[rip-snawr-ter] / ˈrɪpˈsnɔr tər /

noun

Informal.

1. something or someone exceedingly strong or violent.

   a ripsnorter of a gale.

2. something or someone remarkably good or exciting.

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ripsnorter British  

/ ˈrɪpˌsnɔːtə /

noun

1. slang a person or thing noted for intensity or excellence

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ripsnorting
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of ripsnorter

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; rip ¹ + snorter

Explanation

Some movies and music albums are just so-so, while others are real ripsnorters — thrilling, sensational, memorable! A storm can be a ripsnorter, and so can an exciting election campaign, if such a thing is imaginable. Ripsnorters are usually things, but occasionally a person can be a ripsnorter, especially a person of action who really shakes things up or who is outstanding in any way. The word was coined in the mid-1800s by combining rip, in the sense of "move with great speed or violence," as in "The getaway car ripped away from the scene," with snorter, a word for anything extraordinary. Adding rip to the front just made snorter all the more exciting! Humdinger has a similar meaning.

Example Sentences

Julia Roberts is the divine ripsnorter of weeping.

From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2022

A later action sequence has the choreography chops of a George Miller multi-vehicle ripsnorter.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2018

“Memphis,” his instrumental version of Chuck Berry’s “Memphis, Tennessee,” was a rockabilly-blues ripsnorter with a scorching 12-bar solo.

From New York Times • Apr. 22, 2016

The U. P. stuck to its guns and, when Mr. Roosevelt's next Neutrality move did come, had the satisfaction of noting that it was a moderate statement by Mr. Hull, not a Roosevelt ripsnorter.

From Time Magazine Archive

When it does, I Joe! it'll be a ripsnorter.

From Gideon's Band A Tale of the Mississippi by Cable, George Washington