rap someone's knuckles
Reprimand, as in If I'd seen John take that last piece of cake, I'd have rapped his knuckles. This term transfers a physical punishment to a verbal one. [Late 1600s]
Words Nearby rap someone's knuckles
- rapporteur
- rapprochement
- rapscallion
- rap session
- rap sheet
- rap someone's knuckles
- rapt
- raptly
- raptor
- raptorial
- rapture
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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