English noun: riot act | |||
1. | riot act (communication) a vigorous reprimand | ||
Samples | I read him the riot act. | ||
Broader (hypernym) | rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval | ||
2. | Riot Act (communication) a former English law requiring mobs to disperse after a magistrate reads the law to them | ||
Broader (hypernym) | law | ||
Part meronym | criminal law | ||
Domain category | jurisprudence, law | ||