haul someone over the coals
English
Etymology
In reference to a punishment once meted out to heretics.
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb
haul someone over the coals
- (chiefly Britain, idiomatic) To express anger with someone in no uncertain terms when they do something wrong.
- The teacher hauled him over the coals for not doing his homework.
Synonyms
- berate
- give someone a dressing down
- give someone a telling off
- rake someone over the coals
- read someone the riot act
- scold
- tell someone off
- tear a strip off someone
- tear someone a new one
- tear someone a new asshole