Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A scolding; a dressing-down.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A reprimand; a scolding: as, to give one a good talking-to.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
rebuke orreprimand
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Pretty quick after Grammie gives us the talking-to, Z gets tired of playing.
Camo Girl Kekla magoon 2011
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"They've never really given me a talking-to about what I can and can't discuss on stage," he says.
The Funny People Behind the Famous Ads Don Steinberg 2011
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Competition, after all, would mean that if the Fed doesn't preserve price stability, it will lose its monopoly franchise—not just get a tough talking-to from Congress.
Our Unaccountable Fed Sean Fieler 2011
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Some people believe that if you want people on your own side to behave better, you should criticize them politely when they misbehave, sometimes even giving them a sternish talking-to.
Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » Beatings will continue until morale improves 2010
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I was now $1,500 lighter and had been the recipient of a firm talking-to from the tuxedo rental employee.
My Fair Succubi Jill Myles 2011
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In the several Sons scenes in which we watch women attempt to escape from the community only to change their minds after a stern talking-to from the community's men, it's clear that there is mind-control going on.
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You forget to mention, though, that Bill McDonald sweeps in and gives those youngsters a good talking-to.
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And I do think that the use of spanking when less aggressive measures will suffice is worrisome – if a talking-to or time-out would do the trick, why HIT?
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Pretty quick after Grammie gives us the talking-to, Z gets tired of playing.
Camo Girl Kekla magoon 2011
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He knew before that key Christmas Eve game against the Jets that Justin Tuck needed a soft talking-to.
Evolution of a Football Curmudgeon Aditi Kinkhabwala 2012
hernesheir commented on the word talking-to
Why is talking-to frequently prefaced by "good"? A talking-to is seldom pleasant, or good.
December 6, 2010