sharp end of one's tongue

sharp end of one's tongue

1. A scolding delivered by one.
   • 1977, Bruce Montgomery, ‎Edmund Crispin, The Glimpses of the Moon (page 259)

     Gave them both the sharp end of my tongue, in a way they won't forget in a hurry.

   • 2000, Roy Redgrave, Balkan Blue: Family and Military Memories (page 89)

     I crawled, wriggled, rolled and ran back into Düdenbüttel, where Borman got the sharp end of my tongue for not protecting me.

• sharp-tongued