trip to the woodshed
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Probably derived from the previous term "horseshedding," meaning to take a person privately (such as to a horse shed or woodshed, separate buildings away from the house) for private cajoling or reprimand.[1]
Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
[edit]trip to the woodshed (plural trips to the woodshed)
- (chiefly US, idiomatic) An occasion on which a reprimand or punishment is administered privately.
- 1948 December 13, “Sweet Reasonableness”, in Time:
- More than a few of the 3,000 members of the National Association of Manufacturers, gathered for their annual convention in Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel last week, felt like small boys worrying about a trip to the woodshed. None knew how vindictive or friendly toward business the Truman Administration would be.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Safire, William (1981 December 13) “On Language By William Safire: Woodshed Blues”, in The New York Times[1], retrieved 8 November 2020, page 16