Idiom meaning, usage examples, facts

1. The bank teller stood silently in the manager’s office while she raked him over the coals for the errors he had made that day.
2. The principal discovered who was responsible for the vandalism at the school. He called them into his office and raked them over the coals.

Synonyms: chew (someone) out; read (someone) the riot act. Compare to: call (someone) on the carpet; give someone a piece of (one’s) mind; lay down the law. Rake someone over the coals is more severe than call someone on the carpet.