tear into

"As I got that phone call, it was like my heart just got ripped in half straight away and slowly along the drive it was tearing into smaller pieces," he said.

“For the prosecutor to argue against his own attorneys, they put their blood, sweat and tears into this case ... they got a felony guilty verdict.”

For Waters, humor is the ultimate weapon, and he wields it with irreverent goodwill, mocking himself first before tearing into anyone else.

He’d like to shoot the wolves, too, at least a few, to teach the pack that there are “consequences to coming around here and tearing into our cattle.”

The Brazilian was the best player on the pitch, running powerfully and tearing into tackles throughout, usually followed by clenched fists in the direction of Newcastle's support.