have someone's guts for garters

verb

To reprimand severely.

“If you go out and play and get your clothes dirty, I'll have your guts for garters!”

Similar
have someone's headgive someone what fornail someone to the wallamercecastigatechastenchastisecome down on
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Meanings

verbhave someone's guts for garters (third-person singular simple present has someone's guts for garters, present participle having someone's guts for garters, simple past and past participle had someone's guts for garters)

present singular third person has someone's guts for garters · participle present having someone's guts for garters · participle past had someone's guts for garters · past had someone's guts for garters

  1. CommonwealthIrelandUKidiomaticTo reprimand severely.

    If you go out and play and get your clothes dirty, I'll have your guts for garters!

    Synonyms: have someone's head, give someone what for, nail someone to the wall, amerce, castigate, chasten, chastise, come down on

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo reprimand severely.

Similar
have someone's headgive someone what fornail someone to the wallamercecastigatechastenchastisecome down oncorrectfix someone's wagonhave someone's headhave someone's hidegive it to someonegive someone what forgive what forgruelmalavoguenail someone to the wallpenalize
Also see
amercechastenchastisecorrectfix someone's wagongive it to someonegive what forgruelhave someone's headhave someone's hidenail someone to the wallpenalizepenancepunishtan someone's hidetar outteach someone a lesson

Origin

By metaphor from the way that humans use animal intestines as catgut for various tensile applications; compare have someone's hide.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

have someone's guts for garters. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20someone's%20guts%20for%20garters

MLA

“have someone's guts for garters.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20someone's%20guts%20for%20garters. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “have someone's guts for garters,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20someone's%20guts%20for%20garters.

Source: have someone's guts for garters on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.