give someone a speaking to en · VERB
Meanings
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(idiomatic) To scold a person.
When she comes home I will certainly be giving her a speaking to about breaking curfew.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| gave someone a speaking to | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| gave someone a speaking to | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| giving someone a speaking to | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| gives someone a speaking to | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |
Synonyms
blame · bawl out · chew out · reprehend · charge · excoriate · scorch · rubbish · lecture · fulminate · berate · put someone on blast · vituperate · rip into · tilt · slam · rate · get at · tear into · rebuke · denunciate · berate · chide · lace into · dress down · tosh · cannonade · give somebody a piece of one's mind · lambaste · pooh-pooh · blast · reproach · threap · chastise · read somebody the riot act · castigate · reprimand · skewer · reprove · tell off · dispraise · denounce · give somebody what-for · upbraid · condemn · keelhaul · slate · admonish · scold · drag · eat someone alive · criticize · inveigh · get up · censure · get down · deprecate · tick off · find fault · chastise · scold · vilify · berisp · lay into · objurgate · animadvert · derogate · lash · bash · light into · slash · savage