On the mat


adverb phrase

In the situation of being reprimanded: Next time they caught him asleep he was on the carpet

[1899+; probably fr walk the carpet or carpet, ”reprimand, rebuke,” found by 1823]

Related Terms

on the carpet

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  • On the one hand

    interjection Something to consider is: on the one hand, there’s college Also, on one hand. As one point of view, from one standpoint. This phrase is often paired with on the other hand to indicate two sides of an issue. For example, On the one hand this car is expensive; on the other hand, it’s […]

  • On the other foot

    see: shoe is on the other foot

  • On the outs

    adjective phrase Estranged; alienated: The young couple are on the outs now (1887+) No longer on friendly terms, as in They’ve been on the outs with their in-laws for years. This idiom appeared in the early 1900s and derives from the synonymous at outs, first recorded in 1824.

  • On the pipe

    adjective phrase : The common slang term we’re hearing now when we talk to arrested people is that they’re ”on the pipe” That means they’re smoking crack [1980s+ Narcotics; the same phrase, found by 1926, meant ”smoking opium”]

  • On the rack

    Under great stress, as in I was on the rack while I waited for the test results. This expression, alluding to a medieval instrument of torture to which the victim was fastened and stretched, has been used figuratively since the late 1500s. Shakespeare had it in The Merchant of Venice (3:2): “Let me choose, for […]


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