There is nothing more frustrating than waiting patiently for your turn to be served in a store and then seeing someone skip ahead of you in the queue. Although you might feel like shouting at the person loudly and angrily, it’s probably safer to bite your tongue (say nothing) and just give them a stony glare! Did you ever give someone a piece of your mind for skipping a queue?
Click on the video below for more examples of this idiom in use.
Transcript
A piece of your mind? What, like a lobotomy? No, to give someone a piece of your mind means to angrily and frankly tell someone that you disapprove of something they have done.
Let’s see how we use this phrase naturally:
- I slept in and was an hour late for school. My teacher gave me a piece of his mind … and two hours’ detention!
- Eric’s mother gave him a piece of her mind when she found out that he had been skipping school.
- James went on a date with a married woman?! That’s disgraceful behavior. I’m going to give him a piece of my mind!
So, there we are: give someone a piece of your mind. When’s the last time you had to give someone a piece of your mind? Let us know in the comments section below.
Practice
Read the following question. Try to reply using today’s idiom.
- Did you ever give out to a child for poor behavior? What happened?
- Were you ever told off by a teacher for being late or forgetting to do your homework? Describe your experience.
- Have you ever complained to your boss or any authority figure about something you were unhappy with? What happened?
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