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rip off

 [rip-awf, -of]   Origin

rip·off

   [rip-awf, -of]
noun Slang.
1.
an act or instance of ripping off another or others; a theft, cheat, or swindle.
2.
exploitation, especially of those who cannot prevent or counter it.
3.
a copy or imitation.
4.
a person who rips off another or others; thief or swindler.
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Also, rip-off.

Origin:
1965–70; noun use of verb phrase rip off

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Rip off is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

rip

1   [rip] verb, ripped, rip·ping, noun
verb (used with object)
1.
to cut or tear apart in a rough or vigorous manner: to rip open a seam; to rip up a sheet.
2.
to cut or tear away in a rough or vigorous manner: to rip bark from a tree.
3.
to saw (wood) in the direction of the grain.
verb (used without object)
4.
to become torn apart or split open: Cheap cloth rips easily.
5.
Informal. to move with violence or great speed: The sports car ripped along in a cloud of dust and exhaust fumes.
noun
6.
a rent made by ripping; tear.
7.
Slang. a cheat, swindle, or theft; ripoff: The average consumer doesn't realize that the new tax is a rip.
Verb phrases
8.
rip into, Informal. to attack physically or verbally; assail.
9.
rip off, Slang.
a.
to steal or pilfer.
b.
to rob or steal from.
c.
to swindle, cheat, or exploit; take advantage of: phony charity appeals that rip off a gullible public.
10.
rip out, Informal. to utter angrily, as with an oath or exclamation.
Idiom
11.
let rip, Slang.
a.
to utter a series of oaths; swear.
b.
to speak or write violently, rapidly, or at great length.
c.
to allow to proceed at full speed or without restraint.
Origin:
1470–80; 1960–65 for def. 9; obscurely akin to Frisian rippe, dialectal Dutch rippen; compare dialectal English ripple to scratch

Related forms
rip·pa·ble, adjective
un·rip·pa·ble, adjective

Can be confused: burglarize, mug, rip off, rob, steal (see synonym note at rob).

Synonyms
1. See tear2. 6. laceration, cut.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To rip off
Collins
World English Dictionary
rip off
 
—vb
1.  (tr) to tear violently or roughly (from)
2.  slang (adverb) to steal from or cheat (someone)
 
—n
3.  slang an article or articles stolen
4.  slang a grossly overpriced article
5.  slang the act of stealing or cheating

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

rip
"thing of little value," 1815, earlier "inferior or worn-out horse" (1778), perhaps altered from slang rep (1747) "man of loose character," which is itself perhaps short for reprobate (q.v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
rip   (rĭp)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A stretch of water in a river, estuary, or tidal channel made rough by waves meeting an opposing current.

  2. A rip current.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary

rip definition


  1. n.
    a drinking bout. (See also tear.) : Fred had another rip last night. He's rotten now.
  2. n.
    the loot from a rip-off. : Give him some of the rip and tell him to beat it.
  3. n.
    a theft; a rip-off. : The crooks pulled a rip on Fourth Street last night.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

rip (so) off definition


  1. tv.
    to assault, kill, beat, rob, rape, or cheat someone. : Man, they ripped me off for three hundred dollars.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

rip (sth) off definition


  1. tv.
    to steal something. : The crooks ripped off the hubcaps of my car.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

rip-off definition


  1. n.
    a theft; a deception; an exploitation. (See also rip.) : What a rip-off! I want my money back.
  2. mod.
    having to do with theft and deception. : I consider myself to be rip-off champion of North America.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

rip off

  1. Steal, as in They fired him when they caught him ripping off some of the merchandise.

  2. Cheat, defraud, as in These advertising claims have ripped off a great many consumers.

  3. Copy, plagiarize, as in He was sued for ripping off someone else's thesis. All three usages are slang from the second half of the 1900s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
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