trip to the woodshed

noun

An occasion on which a reprimand or punishment is administered privately.

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Meanings

nountrip to the woodshed (plural trips to the woodshed)

plural trips to the woodshed

  1. USidiomaticAn occasion on which a reprimand or punishment is administered privately.
    1 more example

    More than a few of the 3,000 members of the National Association of Manufacturers, gathered for their annual convention in Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel last week, felt like small boys worrying about a trip to the woodshed. None knew how vindictive or friendly toward business the Truman Administration would be.

    1948 December 13, “Sweet Reasonableness”, in Time

Origin

Probably derived from the previous term "horseshedding," meaning to take a person privately (such as to a horse shed or woodshed, separate buildings away from the house) for private cajoling or reprimand.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

trip to the woodshed. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trip%20to%20the%20woodshed

MLA

“trip to the woodshed.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trip%20to%20the%20woodshed. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “trip to the woodshed,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trip%20to%20the%20woodshed.

Source: trip to the woodshed on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.