give someone a speaking to

English

Verb

give someone a speaking to (third-person singular simple present gives someone a speaking to, present participle giving someone a speaking to, simple past and past participle gave someone a speaking to)

  1. (idiomatic) To scold a person.
    When she comes home I will certainly be giving her a speaking to about breaking curfew.
    Synonyms: berate, chastise, scold; see also Thesaurus:criticize
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