Meaning: a stiff talking-to. Definition and uses.
Rewrite 1: a word lashing
Rewrite 2: a vent lashing
Rewrite 3: getting their word’s worth
Rewrite 4: getting their 2-cents worth with a side of jalapeño

Comment: How many ways can you think to receive (or deliver) a good tongue-lashing?

More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Asia Times: First-person account of devastating tsunami in December 2004, citing the clichés that came to mind at the time.

Check out the new alphabetical list of all my cliché rewrites available at the bottom of the archive list at the right.