give me down the road
Chew somebody out; give them a long, hard talking-to.
Also called give somebody down the road, gave me down the road.
Updated September 21, 2026
give me down the road pronunciation
/GIV mee down thuh RODE/
Meaning
In Appalachian talk, if somebody give you down the road, they lit into you. Not a short "stop that." More like a full lecture that sends you packing metaphorically. Parents, bosses, and neighbors use it when tempers rise. Folks sometimes hear a secondary sense of telling you to get lost, but the main punch is the scolding.
How folks use it
- “Mama give me down the road for coming in past midnight.”
- “If you break that tool again, Daddy'll give you down the road.”
Origin and etymology
Southern Appalachian idiom attested for about a century. Exact picture is murky. Some hear it as chasing a person off down the road; others just treat it as a colorful way to say you got told off. Closely related Irish "give someone down the banks" also means a sharp reprimand.
Frequently asked questions
Does it mean someone made you leave?
Sometimes that flavor is there. Most often it means they chewed you out hard.