INDEX:
1. to tell someone off
2. to tell someone off very angrily or loudly
3. when you tell someone off
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ ANGRY
↑ CRITICIZE
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1. to tell someone off
▷ tell somebody off /ˌtel somebody ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
▪ She’s always telling her kids off and shouting at them.
tell sb off for
▪ Did your Dad tell you off for getting home late?
tell sb off about
▪ The manager said my work wasn’t good enough. He really told me off about it.
get told off
▪ I was always getting told off for things I hadn’t done when I was a kid.
▷ give somebody a talking-to also give somebody a telling-off British /ˌgɪv somebody ə ˈtɔːkɪŋ tuː, ˌgɪv somebody ə ˌtelɪŋ ˈɒf/ [verb phrase]
to tell someone off, especially a child, to make it clear that you disapprove of something they have done :
▪ Addicts don’t stop what they’re doing just because someone gives them a talking-to.
▪ I remember being late for school and the teacher giving me such a telling-off.
give somebody a good talking-to/telling-off
▪ You should give that child a good talking-to, if you want my opinion.
▷ lecture /ˈlektʃəʳ/ [transitive verb] spoken
to talk angrily to someone for a long time, especially in a way that they think is not necessary or fair :
▪ He was lectured by the headmaster in front of the whole school.
lecture somebody on/about something
▪ She’s always lecturing me on bad manners.
▪ After the violence on the field, the manager lectured the team about acceptable standards of behaviour.
▷ scold /skəʊld/ [transitive verb] especially American
if a parent, teacher, or other adult scolds a child, they tell them off :
▪ I dreaded the thought of going home and being scolded by my father.
scold somebody for something
▪ Don’t scold him for doing badly at school, he’s doing his best.
▪ Our parents were strict and we were frequently scolded for our bad behaviour.
scolding [countable noun]
▪ Betty got a severe scolding and had to apologize.
▷ rebuke /rɪˈbjuːk/ [transitive verb]
to talk severely to someone in order to criticize them for doing something which they knew was wrong :
▪ When the extent of the pollution became known, the company was publicly rebuked by the Governor.
rebuke somebody for (doing) something
▪ Amnesty International rebuked the British government for its treatment of the refugees.
▪ Welfare workers were sternly rebuked by the court for ignoring the woman’s plea for help.
rebuke [countable/uncountable noun]
▪ There was a hint of rebuke in his voice.
▪ The magazine drew a stinging rebuke from the police, saying it would only encourage children to play with drugs.
▷ reprimand /ˈreprɪmɑːnd, ˈreprəmɑːndǁ-mænd/ [transitive verb]
to officially tell someone that they have done something wrong or illegal, especially by warning them that if they do it again they will be punished :
▪ After the trial two police officers were suspended from duty; four others were reprimanded.
reprimand somebody for (doing) something
▪ The man was released after being officially reprimanded for illegal possession of a knife.
reprimand somebody severely
▪ The foreman reprimanded the workers severely for not following safety procedures.
▷ pull somebody up /ˌpʊl somebody ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb] British
to tell someone off for doing something that you do not approve of but that is not very bad :
pull sb up for
▪ Our teachers are always pulling us up for wearing the wrong uniform.
pull sb up on
▪ I felt I had to pull her up on her lateness.
▷ have a bone to pick with /hæv ə ˈbəʊn tə ˌpɪk wɪð/ [verb phrase] spoken
use this to tell someone that they have done something to annoy you and that you are going to tell them off about it :
▪ I’ve got a bone to pick with you - what are all these lies you’ve been spreading about me?
2. to tell someone off very angrily or loudly
▷ give somebody hell /ˌgɪv somebody ˈhel/ [verb phrase] informal
to shout at someone and make them suffer for doing something wrong :
▪ I’d better go. My wife will give me hell if I’m late home again.
▪ Caroline would give me hell for evermore if she thought I’d mistreated her best friend.
▷ yell at /ˈjel ət/ [transitive phrasal verb] especially American
to shout at or talk angrily to someone because they have done something wrong or annoying :
▪ It was so embarrassing - he just started yelling at his wife.
get yelled at
spoken
▪ I got yelled at at school because I was wearing the wrong shirt.
▷ chew out /ˌtʃuː ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb] American informal
to talk very angrily to someone for a long time about something wrong that they have done :
chew somebody out
▪ Even his mother used to chew him out in public.
chew out somebody
▪ The Senate science and space subcommittee chewed out NASA for failing to conduct the necessary tests.
chew somebody out for something/chew out somebody for something
▪ The boss called Diane into his office and chewed her out for losing the Thurman account.
▷ read somebody the riot act /ˌriːd somebody ðə ˈraɪət ækt/ [verb phrase] informal
to tell someone off and warn them about what will happen if they continue with their bad behaviour :
▪ They’ll read him the riot act if he ever shows his face again.
▷ give somebody a dressing down /ˌgɪv somebody ə ˌdresɪŋ ˈdaʊn/ [verb phrase]
to tell someone off, especially in a way that makes them look stupid :
give sb a dressing down for
▪ Elise was delighted I rang, but gave me a terrible dressing down for not ringing before or sending a postcard.
▷ bollock somebody/give somebody a bollocking /ˈbɒlək somebody, ˌgɪv somebody ə ˈbɒləkɪŋǁˈbɑː-/ [verb phrase] British informal
to tell someone off by shouting at them. These are rude phrases :
▪ Being bollocked by your daughter is a bit hard to take.
bollock sb/give sb a bollocking for
▪ My dad gave me a real bollocking for crashing his car.
3. when you tell someone off
▷ talking-to informal also telling-off British informal /ˈtɔːkɪŋ tuː, ˌtelɪŋ ˈɒf/ [countable noun]
when someone, especially a child, is told off for being disobedient or for doing something wrong :
▪ What Sarah needs is a good talking-to.
▪ After a stern telling-off from the teacher, Billy left the room.
▷ reprimand /ˈreprɪmɑːnd, ˈreprəmɑːndǁ-mænd/ [countable noun]
when someone is officially told that they should not have done something, especially by warning them that they will be punished more severely if they do it again :
▪ This time the police let him go with a reprimand as it was his first offence.
a severe reprimand
▪ David was fined £100, and Louis was given a severe reprimand for his behaviour.
▷ lecture /ˈlektʃəʳ/ [countable noun]
when you talk to someone for a long time in order to tell them that they should not have done something, especially in a way that they find annoying :
lecture about
▪ She launched into another one of her lectures about why we should always do our homework.