telling-to
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
telling (“past participle of tell”) + to
Noun[edit]
telling-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