give someone hell

give someone hell idiom
Also, give someone the devil. Scold someone harshly. For example, The boss gave them hell for not finishing in time, or Mom will give her the devil if she doesn't get home soon. Also see give it to, def. 1.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.