Could you tell me the meaning of "let rip" in this sentence. thanks.
Burnie says she knows what she would do with young thugs. A customer joins in and they let rip together. "Something should be done" is Burnie's favourite announcement. - - -

Above is an excerpt from a radio programme which talks about something in an launderette. Could you tell me the meaning of let rip in the sentence? Take your time. Thank you.

Question

Could you tell me the meaning of "let rip" in this sentence. thanks.
Burnie says she knows what she would do with young thugs. A customer joins in and they let rip together. "Something should be done" is Burnie's favourite announcement. - - - 

Above is an excerpt from a radio programme which talks about something in an launderette. Could you tell me the meaning of let rip in the sentence? Take your time. Thank you.

Answer

to let rip: 
1. to begin something / to start (usually) a machine that is noisy or does damage. 
2. to break wind (to fart) 
3. to exert a lot of energy in to something 

Very "spoking English", has all the meanings above, and probably more. 
In your example: 
A customer joins in and they let rip together 
Would be the same as saying: 
A customer joins in and they start (energetically/angrily/passionately...) discussing the topic.


PS: If you could tell me how to express the same thing in Chinese, I would appreciate it.
Thanks

Answer

let it rip
1. to make a vehicle or machine move very fast. He would get up early Sunday mornings, fire up the lawnmower, and let her rip.
Usage notes: the pronoun her is often used to refer to a machine
2. to do something with energy and enthusiasm. Hendrix would walk into a recording studio, turn on his amp, and let it rip while the tape recorder rolled.

Answers · 2

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