Out on a tear last night - meaning?
I've bumped into a great pun from the Marx Brothers' Night at the Opera (transcript)
I didn't get the reference/joke/idiom on "out on a tear last night".
Fiorello: No, that's no good, too. (they rip the contracts again until there's practically nothing left.) Hey, how is it my contract is skinnier than yours?
Driftwood: Well, I don't know. You must've been out on a tear last
night. But anyhow we're all set now, aren't we?
Fiorello: Oh sure.
I've checked the definition on Merriam-Webster and it makes no sense to me. Definition:
Definition of on a tear (US, informal):
having great success over a period of time
The team has been on a tear in recent weeks.
The economy is on a tear, but can it last?
meaning idioms humor
asked Mar 20 at 21:21
SunnySideDownSunnySideDown
507
add a comment |
I've bumped into a great pun from the Marx Brothers' Night at the Opera (transcript)
I didn't get the reference/joke/idiom on "out on a tear last night".
Fiorello: No, that's no good, too. (they rip the contracts again until there's practically nothing left.) Hey, how is it my contract is skinnier than yours?
Driftwood: Well, I don't know. You must've been out on a tear last
night. But anyhow we're all set now, aren't we?
Fiorello: Oh sure.
I've checked the definition on Merriam-Webster and it makes no sense to me. Definition:
Definition of on a tear (US, informal):
having great success over a period of time
The team has been on a tear in recent weeks.
The economy is on a tear, but can it last?
meaning idioms humor
asked Mar 20 at 21:21
SunnySideDownSunnySideDown
507
1
The term "tear" literally means the same as "rip", and it's figurative use implies rapid motion or extreme activity more than "success". Often applied to someone who was drunk and running about.
– Hot Licks
Mar 20 at 21:29
Sorry, not sure about the use of "running about" in your comment. So, I get it from your comment that if being drunk for one night can make one skinny?
– SunnySideDown
Mar 20 at 21:35
2
The contract got skinny, not the person....had to do with tearing the paper...humor don't always make sense, or grammar.
– J. Taylor
Mar 20 at 21:39
1
Yes, literal tearing (ripping) made the contract skinnier.
– Hot Licks
Mar 20 at 21:53
Could someone explain to me the joke at the end of the scene? Why "white carnation"? What does it stand for and how does it refer to 'there ain't no sanity clause'? Fiorello: Ha ha ha ha ha! You can't fool me! There ain't no Sanity Clause! Driftwood: Well, you win the white carnation. Fiorello: I give this to Riccardo.
– SunnySideDown
Mar 21 at 8:50
add a comment |
I've bumped into a great pun from the Marx Brothers' Night at the Opera (transcript)
I didn't get the reference/joke/idiom on "out on a tear last night".
Fiorello: No, that's no good, too. (they rip the contracts again until there's practically nothing left.) Hey, how is it my contract is skinnier than yours?
Driftwood: Well, I don't know. You must've been out on a tear last
night. But anyhow we're all set now, aren't we?
Fiorello: Oh sure.
I've checked the definition on Merriam-Webster and it makes no sense to me. Definition:
Definition of on a tear (US, informal):
having great success over a period of time
The team has been on a tear in recent weeks.
The economy is on a tear, but can it last?
meaning idioms humor
asked Mar 20 at 21:21
SunnySideDownSunnySideDown
507
I've bumped into a great pun from the Marx Brothers' Night at the Opera (transcript)
I didn't get the reference/joke/idiom on "out on a tear last night".
Fiorello: No, that's no good, too. (they rip the contracts again until there's practically nothing left.) Hey, how is it my contract is skinnier than yours?
Driftwood: Well, I don't know. You must've been out on a tear last
night. But anyhow we're all set now, aren't we?
Fiorello: Oh sure.
I've checked the definition on Merriam-Webster and it makes no sense to me. Definition:
Definition of on a tear (US, informal):
having great success over a period of time
The team has been on a tear in recent weeks.
The economy is on a tear, but can it last?
meaning idioms humor
meaning idioms humor
asked Mar 20 at 21:21
SunnySideDownSunnySideDown
507
asked Mar 20 at 21:21
SunnySideDownSunnySideDown
507
asked Mar 20 at 21:21
SunnySideDownSunnySideDown
507
asked Mar 20 at 21:21
SunnySideDownSunnySideDown
507
asked Mar 20 at 21:21
SunnySideDownSunnySideDown
507
507
1
The term "tear" literally means the same as "rip", and it's figurative use implies rapid motion or extreme activity more than "success". Often applied to someone who was drunk and running about.
– Hot Licks
Mar 20 at 21:29
Sorry, not sure about the use of "running about" in your comment. So, I get it from your comment that if being drunk for one night can make one skinny?
– SunnySideDown
Mar 20 at 21:35
2
The contract got skinny, not the person....had to do with tearing the paper...humor don't always make sense, or grammar.
– J. Taylor
Mar 20 at 21:39
1
Yes, literal tearing (ripping) made the contract skinnier.
– Hot Licks
Mar 20 at 21:53
Could someone explain to me the joke at the end of the scene? Why "white carnation"? What does it stand for and how does it refer to 'there ain't no sanity clause'? Fiorello: Ha ha ha ha ha! You can't fool me! There ain't no Sanity Clause! Driftwood: Well, you win the white carnation. Fiorello: I give this to Riccardo.
– SunnySideDown
Mar 21 at 8:50
add a comment |
1
The term "tear" literally means the same as "rip", and it's figurative use implies rapid motion or extreme activity more than "success". Often applied to someone who was drunk and running about.
– Hot Licks
Mar 20 at 21:29
Sorry, not sure about the use of "running about" in your comment. So, I get it from your comment that if being drunk for one night can make one skinny?
– SunnySideDown
Mar 20 at 21:35
2
The contract got skinny, not the person....had to do with tearing the paper...humor don't always make sense, or grammar.
– J. Taylor
Mar 20 at 21:39
1
Yes, literal tearing (ripping) made the contract skinnier.
– Hot Licks
Mar 20 at 21:53
Could someone explain to me the joke at the end of the scene? Why "white carnation"? What does it stand for and how does it refer to 'there ain't no sanity clause'? Fiorello: Ha ha ha ha ha! You can't fool me! There ain't no Sanity Clause! Driftwood: Well, you win the white carnation. Fiorello: I give this to Riccardo.
– SunnySideDown
Mar 21 at 8:50
1
1
The term "tear" literally means the same as "rip", and it's figurative use implies rapid motion or extreme activity more than "success". Often applied to someone who was drunk and running about.
– Hot Licks
Mar 20 at 21:29
The term "tear" literally means the same as "rip", and it's figurative use implies rapid motion or extreme activity more than "success". Often applied to someone who was drunk and running about.
– Hot Licks
Mar 20 at 21:29
Sorry, not sure about the use of "running about" in your comment. So, I get it from your comment that if being drunk for one night can make one skinny?
– SunnySideDown
Mar 20 at 21:35
Sorry, not sure about the use of "running about" in your comment. So, I get it from your comment that if being drunk for one night can make one skinny?
– SunnySideDown
Mar 20 at 21:35
2
2
The contract got skinny, not the person....had to do with tearing the paper...humor don't always make sense, or grammar.
– J. Taylor
Mar 20 at 21:39
The contract got skinny, not the person....had to do with tearing the paper...humor don't always make sense, or grammar.
– J. Taylor
Mar 20 at 21:39
1
1
Yes, literal tearing (ripping) made the contract skinnier.
– Hot Licks
Mar 20 at 21:53
Yes, literal tearing (ripping) made the contract skinnier.
– Hot Licks
Mar 20 at 21:53
Could someone explain to me the joke at the end of the scene? Why "white carnation"? What does it stand for and how does it refer to 'there ain't no sanity clause'? Fiorello: Ha ha ha ha ha! You can't fool me! There ain't no Sanity Clause! Driftwood: Well, you win the white carnation. Fiorello: I give this to Riccardo.
– SunnySideDown
Mar 21 at 8:50
Could someone explain to me the joke at the end of the scene? Why "white carnation"? What does it stand for and how does it refer to 'there ain't no sanity clause'? Fiorello: Ha ha ha ha ha! You can't fool me! There ain't no Sanity Clause! Driftwood: Well, you win the white carnation. Fiorello: I give this to Riccardo.
– SunnySideDown
Mar 21 at 8:50
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
"Being on a tear" in 19th, early 20th century (and possibly current) lowland Scots dialect meant being out having a raucous, and probably drunken good time. My source for this is the traditional song The Day We Went to Rothsay, O!.
The song tells the story of a group of men in Glasgow on a public holiday going down the Clyde to the resort of Rothsay on a paddle steamer. Various unruly things happen and in the last verse they are sent back to Glasgow by the police
The Polis wouldna let us stop
Another nicht in Rothsay O!
The first four lines of the song are
One Hogmany at Glesca Fair,
There was me, mysel' and sev'ral mair,
We a' went off to hae a tear
An' spend the nicht in Rothesay, O,
Whether "On a tear" was ever exclusive to Lowland Scotland or whether it was also Irish, English or even, originally, American I don't know; but even if it was exclusively Scots at some time it is very understandable that it would have crossed the Atlantic with migrants.
answered Mar 20 at 22:25
BoldBenBoldBen
6,255919
New Englander here - it's a usage that I'm familiar with.
– user888379
Mar 20 at 22:59
add a comment |
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"Being on a tear" in 19th, early 20th century (and possibly current) lowland Scots dialect meant being out having a raucous, and probably drunken good time. My source for this is the traditional song The Day We Went to Rothsay, O!.
The song tells the story of a group of men in Glasgow on a public holiday going down the Clyde to the resort of Rothsay on a paddle steamer. Various unruly things happen and in the last verse they are sent back to Glasgow by the police
The Polis wouldna let us stop
Another nicht in Rothsay O!
The first four lines of the song are
One Hogmany at Glesca Fair,
There was me, mysel' and sev'ral mair,
We a' went off to hae a tear
An' spend the nicht in Rothesay, O,
Whether "On a tear" was ever exclusive to Lowland Scotland or whether it was also Irish, English or even, originally, American I don't know; but even if it was exclusively Scots at some time it is very understandable that it would have crossed the Atlantic with migrants.
answered Mar 20 at 22:25
BoldBenBoldBen
6,255919
New Englander here - it's a usage that I'm familiar with.
– user888379
Mar 20 at 22:59
add a comment |
"Being on a tear" in 19th, early 20th century (and possibly current) lowland Scots dialect meant being out having a raucous, and probably drunken good time. My source for this is the traditional song The Day We Went to Rothsay, O!.
The song tells the story of a group of men in Glasgow on a public holiday going down the Clyde to the resort of Rothsay on a paddle steamer. Various unruly things happen and in the last verse they are sent back to Glasgow by the police
The Polis wouldna let us stop
Another nicht in Rothsay O!
The first four lines of the song are
One Hogmany at Glesca Fair,
There was me, mysel' and sev'ral mair,
We a' went off to hae a tear
An' spend the nicht in Rothesay, O,
Whether "On a tear" was ever exclusive to Lowland Scotland or whether it was also Irish, English or even, originally, American I don't know; but even if it was exclusively Scots at some time it is very understandable that it would have crossed the Atlantic with migrants.
answered Mar 20 at 22:25
BoldBenBoldBen
6,255919
New Englander here - it's a usage that I'm familiar with.
– user888379
Mar 20 at 22:59
add a comment |
"Being on a tear" in 19th, early 20th century (and possibly current) lowland Scots dialect meant being out having a raucous, and probably drunken good time. My source for this is the traditional song The Day We Went to Rothsay, O!.
The song tells the story of a group of men in Glasgow on a public holiday going down the Clyde to the resort of Rothsay on a paddle steamer. Various unruly things happen and in the last verse they are sent back to Glasgow by the police
The Polis wouldna let us stop
Another nicht in Rothsay O!
The first four lines of the song are
One Hogmany at Glesca Fair,
There was me, mysel' and sev'ral mair,
We a' went off to hae a tear
An' spend the nicht in Rothesay, O,
Whether "On a tear" was ever exclusive to Lowland Scotland or whether it was also Irish, English or even, originally, American I don't know; but even if it was exclusively Scots at some time it is very understandable that it would have crossed the Atlantic with migrants.
answered Mar 20 at 22:25
BoldBenBoldBen
6,255919
"Being on a tear" in 19th, early 20th century (and possibly current) lowland Scots dialect meant being out having a raucous, and probably drunken good time. My source for this is the traditional song The Day We Went to Rothsay, O!.
The song tells the story of a group of men in Glasgow on a public holiday going down the Clyde to the resort of Rothsay on a paddle steamer. Various unruly things happen and in the last verse they are sent back to Glasgow by the police
The Polis wouldna let us stop
Another nicht in Rothsay O!
The first four lines of the song are
One Hogmany at Glesca Fair,
There was me, mysel' and sev'ral mair,
We a' went off to hae a tear
An' spend the nicht in Rothesay, O,
Whether "On a tear" was ever exclusive to Lowland Scotland or whether it was also Irish, English or even, originally, American I don't know; but even if it was exclusively Scots at some time it is very understandable that it would have crossed the Atlantic with migrants.
answered Mar 20 at 22:25
BoldBenBoldBen
6,255919
answered Mar 20 at 22:25
BoldBenBoldBen
6,255919
answered Mar 20 at 22:25
BoldBenBoldBen
6,255919
answered Mar 20 at 22:25
BoldBenBoldBen
6,255919
6,255919
New Englander here - it's a usage that I'm familiar with.
– user888379
Mar 20 at 22:59
add a comment |
New Englander here - it's a usage that I'm familiar with.
– user888379
Mar 20 at 22:59
New Englander here - it's a usage that I'm familiar with.
– user888379
Mar 20 at 22:59
New Englander here - it's a usage that I'm familiar with.
– user888379
Mar 20 at 22:59
add a comment |
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1
The term "tear" literally means the same as "rip", and it's figurative use implies rapid motion or extreme activity more than "success". Often applied to someone who was drunk and running about.
– Hot Licks
Mar 20 at 21:29
Sorry, not sure about the use of "running about" in your comment. So, I get it from your comment that if being drunk for one night can make one skinny?
– SunnySideDown
Mar 20 at 21:35
2
The contract got skinny, not the person....had to do with tearing the paper...humor don't always make sense, or grammar.
– J. Taylor
Mar 20 at 21:39
1
Yes, literal tearing (ripping) made the contract skinnier.
– Hot Licks
Mar 20 at 21:53
Could someone explain to me the joke at the end of the scene? Why "white carnation"? What does it stand for and how does it refer to 'there ain't no sanity clause'? Fiorello: Ha ha ha ha ha! You can't fool me! There ain't no Sanity Clause! Driftwood: Well, you win the white carnation. Fiorello: I give this to Riccardo.
– SunnySideDown
Mar 21 at 8:50