💡 To Give What’s For: Scoldings and Sharp Rebukes 🔥
Definition
To give someone what’s for: To give someone a scolding or harsh reprimand. It means to confront someone with an authoritative admonishment, usually due to their misbehavior or wrongdoing.
Origins & Usage
This expression dates from the second half of the 1800s, symbolizing the act of giving someone a thorough telling-off. Example: “If you don’t do your homework, the teacher will give you what’s for.”
David Sedaris captures this idiomatic angst in his writing, “. . . I’d have loved to have turned around and given those two what for” (“Standing By,” New Yorker, August 9, 2010).
Similar Expressions & Idioms
- Dressing down: A severe reprimanding or scolding, often in a public setting.
- “The manager gave the employee a dressing down for missing the deadlines.”
- Read the riot act: To give a stern verbal warning or reprimand.
- “Sally’s parents read her the riot act when she missed curfew again.”
- Chew out: To scold someone vehemently.
- “His coach really chewed him out for that mistake.”
Associated Terms
- Tell off: Criticize or reprimand someone in a harsh manner.
- Rebuke: Express sharp disapproval or criticism.
- Reprimand: A formal expression of disapproval.
Synonyms
- Scold
- Berate
- Admonish
- Chide
- Upbraid
Antonyms
- Praise
- Commend
- Compliment
- Laud
🚀 Humor & Quotations
“When you give someone what’s for, it’s like lending them a piece of your wrath which they’ll never want to return.” – Anonymous
📚 Literary References & Suggested Reading
Books:
- “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott: Watch how Marmee subtly “gives what’s for” to her daughters with wisdom and grace.
- “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee: Atticus Finch provides a good mix of calm assertiveness.
Movies:
- “Matilda”: A delightful blend of rebellion and hilarious scoldings.
- “Harry Potter Series”: Professor McGonagall’s reprimands are iconic!
Songs:
- “Bad to the Bone” by George Thorogood and the Destroyers can be your anthem while doling out justice.
Poetry:
- Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” may not be scolding, per se, but sometimes choices can be a subtle rebuke to our own path.
🧐 Quizzes!
This whimsical exploration demonstrates that even the sternest reprimand can be delivered with a splash of wit and élan. As we navigate the labyrinth of life’s scoldings and sharp tongue-lashings, may we wield words wisely and cultivate a balance between correcting and caring.
“May your words be both a lighthouse in stormy seas and the gentle rain that nurtures growth.”
— Penelope Punhands, 2023
