I have always—always wondered what the hell “reading them the riot act” meant. I knew there was a Riot Act, but I never got it. But then I found this nifty website, which explains what that prhase means.

In English law the control of unruly citizens has usually been the responsibility of local magistrates. Any group of twelve or more that the authorities didn’t like the look of could be deemed a ‘riotous and tumultuous assembly’ and arrested if they didn’t disperse within an hour of the Riot Act being read to them by a magistrate.

Ohhhhhhh. Now I get it.