Whenever I go sightseeing , I'm concerned that I'm going to be ripped off

[pines kevin]

Teather~!
Which is natural expression? please rewrite if my question is wrong

Whenever I go sightseeing , I'm concerned about me to get ripped off

Whenever I go sightseeing , I'm concerned that I'm going to be ripped off

 

[GoesStation]

The second would be correct if it ended with a period and didn't have a space before the comma.

Ask Which expression is natural?

 

[Barb_D]

Or:
... I'm worried about getting ripped off.

 

[emsr2d2]

Teather~!

What does "teather" mean? Why is there a squiggly line after it? Why is there an exclamation mark?

 

[Raymott]

"Ripped off" means being swindled or over-charged in AusE. It doesn't mean pick-pocketed or robbed. You can't be ripped off just by sight-seeing.
Is this different elsewhere?

 

[GoesStation]

"Ripped off" means being swindled or over-charged in AusE. It doesn't mean pick-pocketed or robbed. You can't be ripped off just by sight-seeing.
Is this different elsewhere?

The first time I heard the term ripoff, it meant having money stolen by intimidation. Since then, it evolved in AmE to mean any kind of theft, real or metaphorical. For example, That show was a real ripoff. It wasn't worth half what they charged for it.

 

[Raymott]

But that's the point I was making. You felt ripped off by being over-charged.

Let's say you're walking down the street and someone mugs you and steals your wallet. That is not called being "ripped off" in Australia. I was asking if it was anywhere else, since I interpreted that to be the OP's meaning which, as yet, we don't know.

 

[GoesStation]

Let's say you're walking down the street and someone mugs you and steals your wallet. That is not called being "ripped off" in Australia. I was asking if it was anywhere else, since I interpreted that to be the OP's meaning which, as yet, we don't know.

When I first heard the word, a ripoff described exactly the situation you presented. I don't think it's used that way anymore in AmE though. Its meaning has softened, as slang that gets absorbed into everyday language so often does.

 

[emsr2d2]

In BrE, in my lifetime, being ripped off has never meant being robbed or pickpocketed. It has always meant being swindled out of money, either by way of a scam or simply by being charged more for something than it's actually worth.

 

[Barb_D]

I feel the same as ems and Piscean and I was assuming that was what was meant: paying too much for something that should have been a lot less money, in exactly the scenarios described. I recently was in Alaska - I saw a shuttle to take me to a spot I wanted to go for $15 each way, which seemed a lot. Then I saw that four other places were all charging the exact same amount, but where the first one left from was actually more convenient. My fear of getting ripped off ended up inconveniencing me.

 

[GoesStation]

I think I heard the word first in Berkeley, California in 1968, very soon after it first appeared. It was used by members of one ethnic group intimidating schoolchildren of other ethnicities out of their lunch money.

 

[TheParser]

NOT A TEACHER

In my city, many taxicabs used to have a secret button.

While driving you, the dishonest driver would press the button that made the meter go faster. (Sometimes I would be charged $10 too much. And they still expected a tip!)

So many people, including international visitors, were ripped off that finally the TV stations started reporting this situation, thus forcing the city government to finally crack down.

All taxicabs now have meters that are more difficult to tamper with, but I have no doubt that sooner or later someone will find a way to tamper with them.

I hear that people who use Uber know exactly what the fare will be. (And tips are not required.)

P.S. One time a driver was so embarrassed by my generous tip that he returned some of it, his guilty conscience telling him that he had already ripped me off enough.