talking-to

[ taw-king-too ]
See synonyms for talking-to on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural talk·ing-tos.
  1. a scolding.

Origin of talking-to

1
First recorded in 1875–80

Words Nearby talking-to

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use talking-to in a sentence

  • We are as much given to talking to-day as we were to silence last evening.

    Hania | Henryk Sienkiewicz
  • For it had been about the "Novum" that Stan had given Strong that talking-to.

    A Crooked Mile | Oliver Onions

British Dictionary definitions for talking-to

talking-to

noun
  1. informal a session of criticism, as of the work or attitude of a subordinate by a person in authority

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012