tear it

tear it idiom
Ruin something, spoil one's chances, as in She knew she'd torn it when she lost the address. It is often put as that tears it, as in He's a whole week late—well, that tears it for the September issue. [Colloquial; early 1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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