telling-to
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
edittelling (“past participle of tell”) + to
Noun
edittelling-to (plural tellings-to)
- (informal) A reprimand, reproach, or lecture.
- 2016 July 8, Judith Woods, “'Red boxes are very much banned from the bedroom'”, in The Daily Telegraph[2], London, retrieved 6 October 2019:
- I suspect the Tories are desperate for a good telling to from someone like May who has authority and energy – and great optimism about the future, albeit expressed in more measured tones than her rather more hyperbolic rival.
Synonyms
edit- (reprimand): telling off