rip-off. Since at least the 1960s rip-off has been a synonym for stealing or defrauding of any kind. It has been used to de- scribe everything from pickpocketing to consumer fraud (“What a rip-off that store is.”) No one is sure where the term comes from. One good possibility is a purse snatcher ripping a purse out of a woman’s hands. Less likely is a burglar ripping the door off a house to get inside. |