the riot act
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She sang with Muppets, talked with the aliens and read the riot act to Philip Seymour Hoffman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2024
Health Minister Eluned Morgan has said she read the "riot act" to executives but didn't have the power to sack them.
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2023
Smith hammers that point home on the grandiose hymn “Gloria,” but makes it more subtly and effectively on the excellent “No God,” a moody, midtempo R&B number that reads a stubborn ex-lover the riot act.
From New York Times ● Jan. 26, 2023
"It reads a lot like a stern but polite reprimand of a child caught red handed who needs to be read the riot act," he wrote.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2022
If Mr. Dussel’s just read me the riot act, Mother lectures me all over again, this time throwing the whole book at me.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
