英语词汇read the riot act的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

read the riot act. If you were actually reading the Riot Act to someone, here’s what you’d proclaim: “Our Sovereign Lord the King chargeth and commandeth all persons being assembled immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations or to their lawful business, upon the pains contained in the act made in the first year of King George for preventing tumultuous and riotous assemblies. God save the King.” This is the opening section of the Riot Act of 1714, which a justice of the peace or other authorized persons was re- quired by the Riot Act itself to read to rioters. The “pains” or penalty, provided by the act was death, later changed to terms in prison ranging up to life. These were certainly severe penal- ties, much more severe than those a parent has in mind when threatening a child with punishment if he doesn’t cease and de- sist from a certain activity. But our expression to read the riot act, “to severely scold or warn someone,” is nonetheless an allu- sion to the real Riot Act of 1714, designed to control the En- glish middle class and prevent sedition.

词汇	read the riot act
词源	read the riot act. If you were actually reading the Riot Act to someone, here’s what you’d proclaim: “Our Sovereign Lord the King chargeth and commandeth all persons being assembled immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations or to their lawful business, upon the pains contained in the act made in the first year of King George for preventing tumultuous and riotous assemblies. God save the King.” This is the opening section of the Riot Act of 1714, which a justice of the peace or other authorized persons was re- quired by the Riot Act itself to read to rioters. The “pains” or penalty, provided by the act was death, later changed to terms in prison ranging up to life. These were certainly severe penal- ties, much more severe than those a parent has in mind when threatening a child with punishment if he doesn’t cease and de- sist from a certain activity. But our expression to read the riot act, “to severely scold or warn someone,” is nonetheless an allu- sion to the real Riot Act of 1714, designed to control the En- glish middle class and prevent sedition.
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