what for
1
8.8
- idiom
- Informal
:
regañina
- The teacher gave the student a serious what for after he was caught cheating.
Like it's all good, you know, go, go give those Ottomans what for.
- Like it's all good, you know, go, go give those Ottomans what for.
Examples
-
The possibility of following her or tearing away the sheet and wrestling her into the bushes, teaching her what for.
Fiction book (1990) -
Well, I'll be sure to give 'em a good what for on Monday, though.
-
I remember you giving him what for.
-
By God, let's give 'em what for.
-
And if I see you here again... I'll give you what for!
-
I'd like to get a hold of that guy and give him a wicked case of what for.
-
Give me a real what-for?
Fiction book (1996) -
I love that as soon as the lab got 4 feet under her, she turned around to give the orca what for.
Blog text (3) -
Show him what for.
-
After the rowdy behavior, the coach promised to give the team a good what for during practice.
Synonyms
7
3.3
A strong angry talk that tells someone they did something wrong
7
7.4
A strong warning to someone to stop bad behavior
5
3.4
A firm, serious statement that tells someone to stop wrong or dangerous behavior
5
7.6
A strong angry talk that scolds someone for a mistake
4
7.0
A firm warning that tells someone to change their behavior
3
7.2
A strong spoken scolding for a mistake
1
6.3
A strong angry talk that tells someone they did something wrong
1
7.2
A talk that tells someone they did something wrong, often angrily
1
9.0
Severe criticism or punishment using harsh words
1
8.5
A harsh telling off given for a serious mistake
1
7.7
A strong angry talk that tells someone they did something wrong
1
4.2
A serious scolding from someone like a parent or boss
1
9.5
A strong scolding from someone in charge
1
9.9
A strong private scolding for someone who did something wrong
A loud angry scolding for someone who did something wrong
A severe scolding given to someone for a serious mistake
Antonyms
How Harsh
- Informal
1
7.7
22
6.8
- Formal
24
6.1
- Informal
1
8.8
2
5.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
what + for
The meaning 'ask about purpose' is directly derivable from combining 'what' (a question word) with 'for' (marking purpose), so a learner who knows both words can infer 'what for?' = 'for what purpose?'. This construction is cross-linguistically common and follows standard English interrogative composition, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
What for as a noun comes from people angrily asking what for? when someone did something wrong. That angry question often turned into a strong telling-off, so the phrase means 'a scolding'.