naughty step
1
7.7
- noun
- Baby Talk
:
escalón de la travesura
- If you don't clean up your mess, you'll have to spend time on the naughty step as a consequence.
Examples
-
When he threw a toy at his sister, his mother told him to go sit on the naughty step for a few minutes.
-
No shoulder-held rocket launchers for you; now go sit on the naughty step.
Blog text (17) -
Yes, yes, we are at an elite professional level saying that's cool, but you know, if you're we're going to stick you on the naughty step with a big fine.
-
For the Naughty Step Technique to work properly, the child must also be physically placed in an area designated for punishment: "The naughty step works because it's a place where the child can sit down and reflect on the behavior that wasn't acceptable" ("Bailey Family").
Academic text (2013) -
After breaking the vase, she was sent to the naughty step to think about her actions.
How Severe
- Offensive
11
5.7
- Formal
- Baby Talk
1
7.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is partly compositional: 'naughty' (misbehaving) + 'step' (a stair step) cues that it is a step associated with a naughty child, so learners can infer it is a place related to misbehavior. However, the conventionalized use as a specific disciplinary technique (sending a child to stand/sit there as punishment) is cultural and lexicalized, so the precise pragmatic meaning may not be fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Naughty step comes from the image of a child being made to sit on a step for a short time after bad behaviour to calm down. So, it means 'a place where a child is sent as a punishment'.