piece of one's mind



piece of one's mind

Frank and severe criticism, censure, as in Chuck was furious and gave him a piece of his mind. The word piece here is used in the sense of "portion," but the portion of the mind alluded to always has a negative opinion. [Second half of 1500s]
See also: mind, of, piece

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Alexandrineal-eg-zan-DREEN (French), ah-lek-sahn-DREE-nə (German)French, German
FaeFAYEnglish
Annuska-Hungarian
Ealdr&Aelig;D-Anglo-Saxon
Aureliana-Italian, Ancient Roman
Vartouhi-Armenian