rip the heart out of (something)

rip the heart out of (something)

To remove, destroy, devastate, or totally undermine some essential or important aspect of something. This move by the government is going to force a lot of factories to close and rip the heart out of communities around the country. Senators added a number of amendments meant to rip the heart out of the tax bill.
See also: heart, of, out, rip
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

ˌrip/ˌtear the ˈheart out of something

destroy the most important part or aspect of something: Protestors say that closing the factory will tear the heart out of the local economy.
See also: heart, of, out, rip, something, tear
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
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