(‘Be in) a tearing hurry or rush’ in English means ‘(to be) in a very great hurry.’ The Nigerian expression ‘tear race’ retains the core meaning of being in a hurry, which is an adaptation of the English phrase.
Even though the English expression uses ‘tearing’ as an adjective to underscore intensity while the Nigerian version uses ‘tear’ as a verb, both phrases imply a sense of urgency or hurry. It is a sense of importance that implies that something needs to be done quickly.
The separate use of adjective (tearing) and verb (tear) in both phrases is an indication that the meaning of the expressions is not predictable from the individual words alone.
Both phrases paint a picture of someone moving so quickly that it feels like they are tearing through space, embodying the physical and emotional urgency of the moment.
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