pickread the riot act . read the riot act {v. phr.} To give someone a strong warning or scolding. Three boys were late to class and the teacher read the riot act to them. Categories: add yours verb Source: A Dictionary of American Idioms 'read the riot act' on video What Happens When You're Read The Riot Act? | QI 🔵 Read the Riot Act Meaning - Read the Riot Act Defined - Read Someone the Riot Act Examples Idioms 2 phrases: Read the riot act. As pleased as punch. What is the Riot Act? sort: relevance, mode: exact match, q: "read the riot act", maxResults: 4, videoEmbeddable: true, videoSyndicated: true, safeSearch: strict, type: video Subscribe to: American IdiomsEnglish Slang Leave my opinion