Idiom
give someone what-for
Meaning
To admonish or berate; to speak angrily at somebody.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“My boss gave me what-for when I arrived late again.”
“After the children broke the expensive vase, their father gave them what-for for being so careless.”
“The coach gave the team what-for in the locker room, demanding they show more discipline and effort during the second half of the game.”
Examples
simple
“My boss gave me what-for when I arrived late again.”
contextual
“After the children broke the expensive vase, their father gave them what-for for being so careless.”
complex
“The coach gave the team what-for in the locker room, demanding they show more discipline and effort during the second half of the game.”
Key words
Related idioms
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