| Idiom | Read the Riot Act |
|---|---|
| Example | When I saw what my little sister had done to my stereo, I read her the riot act. |
| Meaning | to severely scold or warn someone |
| Origin | In 1714 the British Parliament passed what was called the Riot Act. It said if twelve or more people gathered "illegally, riotously, and tumultuously," a magistrate could command them to break up and leave just by reading the opening words of the Riot Act. If they didn't leave within an hour, they were guilty of breaking the law and were given a severe punishment. As the years went by, "reading someone the riot act" came to mean warning a person in the strongest possible terms of severe punishment if he or she did not stop a certain activity. |
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