giving someone what for

Verb

give someone what for (third-person singular simple present gives someone what for, present participle giving someone what for, simple past gave someone what for, past participle given someone what for)

1. (idiomatic, slang) To punish; to rebuke.
   • She gave him what for all right. But you could see she was ever so pleased and she went around telling everybody about it.2007, Wilbur Smith, The Sound of Thunder, page 135

   Synonyms:

   give someone a piece of one's mind, let someone have it, give it to someone, give what for, admonish, animadvert, bash, bawl out, tilt, cannonade