The phrase “read riot act” means to give a stern warning to someone or a group. It originated from the Riot Act of 1714 in Britain, which allowed magistrates to disperse crowds of 12 or more people. The penalties for violating the act were severe, leading to secret meetings and quick dispersals. The phrase became an idiom in the early 1800s and is still used today to reprimand bad behavior.
The idiom “read riot note” is used to describe a firm oral reprimand given to someone or a group. For example, you might say, “After he read the riot act against the kids for clowning, they settled down.” Rowdy behaviour, rowdiness or rudeness could all be seen as grounds for reprimanding someone, sometimes in front of other people to reinforce the idea that the warning is indeed serious.
This slang term has its origins in the Riot Act of 1714, a law passed in Great Britain for the purpose of suppressing civil unrest. During this time in Britain, crowds gathered regularly to protest the government and incite anti-government behavior. While some mobs started out relatively calm, with people making speeches and talking to each other, they did get out of hand at times. The government also wanted to suppress the appearance of such crowds with a view to consolidating the king’s position, fearing that the monarchy would be undermined by these gatherings.
In response, Parliament passed the Riot Act. Under the Riot Act, any group of 12 or more people could be considered a “mafia,” and if a magistrate literally read the Riot Act to the crowd, they were legally obligated to disperse. Failure to disperse after one hour could be grounds for imprisonment, hard labor or fines. As one might imagine, the penalties for violating the Riot Act were an incentive for groups to meet secretly so as not to be discovered and to disperse quickly to avoid penalties.
Throughout the 1800s, magistrates used the Riot Act to control unruly groups. By 1840, the Riot Act was falling out of favor, though it wasn’t officially repealed until 1973. Along the way, it inspired the term slang, thus becoming enshrined in the English language, though many modern English speakers are unaware of its history .
The first uses of the phrase in an idiomatic sense date back to the early 1800s, just as the use of the Riot Act as a disciplinary tool was waning. Many Britons were familiar with the Riot Act, so it’s perhaps not surprising that it was used in a joking idiom. Today, when someone is read the riot act, the focus is usually on reprimanding them for bad behavior, encouraging an apology, and a promise not to repeat the behavior.
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