dressing-down

listen to the pronunciation of dressing-down
English - English
A reprimand or rarely, a thrashing

We must all bow to you, and try to get a favorable word, must we? This man shall have a leg up, and this man shall have a dressing down! — A. Conan Doyle, The Lost World, 1912.

If someone gives you a dressing-down, they speak angrily to you because you have done something bad or foolish. = telling off. an occasion when you talk angrily to someone because they have done something wrong give sb/get a dressing-down
dress down
To scold
dress down
To wear casual or informal clothes
dressing down
Present participle of dress down
dress down
If you dress down, you wear clothes that are less smart than usual. She dresses down in baggy clothes to avoid hordes of admirers
dress down
put on clothes that make a careless or ill-dressed impression
dress down
{f} underdress; dress in a way that is not formal enough for the circumstances; scold; criticize severely
dress down
censure severely or angrily; "The mother scolded the child for entering a stranger's car"; "The deputy ragged the Prime Minister"; "The customer dressed down the waiter for bringing cold soup"
dressing down
reprimand, rebuke
dressing down
a severe scolding
dressing-down
Favorites