tearaway
[tair-uh-wey]
- designed to be easily separated or opened by tearing: a box with a tearaway seal.
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- British. a wild, reckless person.
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Origin of tearaway
First recorded in 1825–35; adj., noun use of verb phrase tear away
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
tear away
- (tr, adverb) to persuade (oneself or someone else) to leaveI couldn't tear myself away from the television
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- British
- a reckless impetuous unruly person
- (as modifier)a tearaway young man
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with tear away
tear away
Remove oneself unwillingly or reluctantly, as in I couldn't tear myself away from that painting. [Late 1700s]
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.