talking to
1
4.2
- noun
- /ˈtɔːkɪŋ tu/
- Informal
:
reprimenda
- Well, anyway, I'll give him a good talking to.
Examples
-
He felt that, if nothing else, the driver needed to have a good talking to.
Blog text (19) -
Things have taken a turn for the better since I realized I had dropped the astrological ball and gave myself a stern talking to.
Blog text (19) -
Sometimes I give them a good talking to, and they think it over and change their minds.
Fiction book (1999) -
So you take him out to the shed, give him a talking to.
-
After his reckless behavior, the teacher decided it was time for a stern talking to during lunch.
-
The manager gave the employee a serious talking to for repeatedly missing deadlines.
-
She received a harsh talking to when her parents found out about her late-night escapades.
Synonyms
184
4.8
A long talk that tells someone they did wrong
68
4.1
A long serious talk that warns or scolds someone about what they did
62
7.0
A short talk telling someone they did something wrong
7
3.3
A strong angry talk that tells someone they did something wrong
4
7.0
A firm warning that tells someone to change their behavior
3
5.8
A firm telling someone they did something wrong
1
6.3
A strong angry talk that tells someone they did something wrong
1
7.7
A strong angry talk that tells someone they did something wrong
1
8.8
A strong scolding you get when someone is angry with you
Antonyms
How Stern
Surface Forms
Morphology
talking + to
The components 'talking' (speaking) and 'to' (directed at someone) make it partly predictable that this refers to being spoken to or addressed. However, the specific conventionalized sense 'a stern reprimand' is a colloquial extension that is not fully derivable from the parts, so learners who know the words may guess directed speech but not reliably infer the scolding meaning.
Etymology
Talking to comes from the clear picture of someone talking directly to another person in a firm, serious way. That's why it now means 'a stern scolding' or 'being told off'.