Idiom meaning, usage examples, facts

1. When the girls arrived home several hours late, their mother read them the riot act.
2. The teacher was very upset that the students rarely turned in their homework or applied themselves to their studies. He read them the riot act, telling them that they were foolish not to be making the most of their education.

Compare to: rake (someone) over the coals; raise Cain; chew (someone) out; call (someone) on the carpet; lay down the law. The expression originates from the Riot Act of 1716, in which King George I of England decreed that it was unlawful for twelve or more people to assemble in order to protest or act in a ‘disruptive’ manner. When such an assembly took place, a person of authority was directed to read the Riot Act to the crowd in order to disperse them. Anyone refusing to disperse after the reading could then be arrested. 75