Tear somebody off a strip/tear a strip off somebody British informal verb phrase
If you tear a strip off someone or tear them off a strip, you scold or criticize someone severely for doing something wrong.
Her parents tore a strip off her because she got home late last night.
My manager tears me off a strip for coming to work late.
My boss would tear me off a strip, if I lost this contract.
The verb "tear" should be conjugated according to its tense.
The expression was originally from Royal Air Force slang, and it was first recorded in the 1940s.
1. The phrase is used to talk about the earth that is broken up and flattened by a harrow.
2. If somebody is under the harrow, he or she is forced to experience distress, or torment.
1. About 1000 hectares of farmland have been under the harrow for 2 hours.
2. Many families are under the harrow because of the economic recession.