read someone the riot act
(Redirected from read the riot act)
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From read the Riot Act. See sense 2. The Riot Act is a historical British Act of Parliament enacted in 1714, which stated that once a statutory warning was read out to rioters and they failed to disperse within one hour, then authorities may use any force to disperse them with impunity.
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb[edit]
read someone the riot act (third-person singular simple present reads someone the riot act, present participle reading someone the riot act, simple past and past participle read someone the riot act)
- (idiomatic) To scold or berate somebody; to reprimand.
- She really read him the riot act about his smoking habit.
- (British, Commonwealth, archaic, historical) To give a formal warning for a riotous assembly to disperse, usually through reading a section of the Riot Act.
Synonyms[edit]
- See also Thesaurus:reprehend
Translations[edit]
scold or berate
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