Word of the Day

: January 2, 2007

riot act

noun RYE-ut-AKT

What It Means

: a vigorous reprimand or warning -- used in the phrase read the riot act

riot act in Context

When Chris arrived late to class again, the teacher read him the riot act for not being more punctual.

Did You Know?

Many people were displeased when George I became king of England in 1714, and his opponents were soon leading rebellions and protests against him. The British government, anxious to stop the protests, passed a law called the "Riot Act." It allowed public officials to break up gatherings of 12 or more people by reading aloud a proclamation, warning those who heard it that they must disperse within the hour or be guilty of a felony punishable by death. By 1819, "riot act" was also being used more generally for any stern warning or reprimand. Although the law long ago fell into disuse and was finally repealed in 1973, the term that it generated lives on today.