Excellent or outstanding in quality; can also refer to the act of tearing or copying digital content. In British slang, means splendid or first-rate.
Originally from the verb 'rip' meaning to tear, from Middle English 'rippen.' The slang meaning of 'excellent' emerged in British English in the early 20th century, possibly from the idea of something being 'rip-roaring' or exciting.
In the digital age, 'ripping' has taken on new meaning as the process of copying content from physical media like CDs or DVDs to computer files. This technical usage maintains the original sense of 'tearing away' content from its original format.
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