tearaway
tearaway Lexical Profile
tearaway Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Designed to be easily and quickly removed or detached by pulling or ripping, such as perforated paper or specialized athletic clothing with snap fasteners.
"The basketball players wore tearaway warmup pants that they could quickly remove before entering the game."
British Behaving in a wild, reckless, or impetuous manner; moving with unrestrained speed.
"The novel follows the misadventures of a tearaway teenager who eventually finds discipline through boxing."
• noun
British A person, especially a young one, who behaves in a wild, reckless, or unruly manner.
"He was a bit of a tearaway in his youth, often skipping school and getting into minor scrapes, before settling down to run the family business."
A garment, sheet of paper, or backing material designed to be quickly and easily ripped or pulled off.
"For lightweight fabrics, the embroiderer prefers using a soft tearaway rather than a heavy cutaway stabilizer."
Word Nuance & Usage
Notice the regional shift: as a noun meaning a reckless or unruly youth, 'tearaway' is primarily British and Australian, whereas in North America it is almost exclusively used as an adjective describing detachable items (such as tearaway pants or a tearaway calendar).