News2 mins ago
To "tick someone off"
2 Answers
Anyone know the origin of this saying? What exactly is being ticked?!
Answers
1 to 2 of 2
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by LaLaLand2006. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
Tp 'tick off' started life as the military term, 'to tell off' which also now means 'to scold'. Originally, it meant to sound off numbers in order, as a rank of soldiers might shout out one after the other: "One! Two! Three!" and so on. In typical military style, this was a bit like 'ticking things off' - ie indicating they were all present and correct - on a list.
In the scolding context, it suggests the person doing the scolding is listing the poor culprit's faults one after the other, ticking them off on paper as he goes.
In the scolding context, it suggests the person doing the scolding is listing the poor culprit's faults one after the other, ticking them off on paper as he goes.
1 to 2 of 2
