dar un jabón

Spanish

Etymology

Literally, “to give (someone) a soap”. Compare French passer un savon.

Verb

dar un jabón (first-person singular present doy un jabón, first-person singular preterite di un jabón, past participle dado un jabón)

1. (idiomatic) to castigate; to criticize harshly [with a ‘someone’]

Usage notes

• Not to be confused with dar jabón.

Further reading

• “dar a alguien un jabón”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28