All lay down the law synonyms

verb lay down the law

• reprimand — a severe reproof or rebuke, especially a formal one by a person in authority.
• censure — If you censure someone for something that they have done, you tell them that you strongly disapprove of it.
• lecture — a speech read or delivered before an audience or class, especially for instruction or to set forth some subject: a lecture on Picasso's paintings.
• reprove — to criticize or correct, especially gently: to reprove a pupil for making a mistake.
• preside — to occupy the place of authority or control, as in an assembly or meeting; act as president or chairperson.
• curb — If you curb something, you control it and keep it within limits.
• bridle — A bridle is a set of straps that is put around a horse's head and mouth so that the person riding or driving the horse can control it.
• cavil — If you say that someone cavils at something, you mean that they make criticisms of it that you think are unimportant or unnecessary.
• nag — to annoy by persistent faultfinding, complaints, or demands.
• revile — to assail with contemptuous or opprobrious language; address or speak of abusively.
• preach — to proclaim or make known by sermon (the gospel, good tidings, etc.).
• rail — any of numerous birds of the family Rallidae, that have short wings, a narrow body, long toes, and a harsh cry and inhabit grasslands, forests, and marshes in most parts of the world.
• asperse — to spread false rumours about; defame
• rate — the amount of a charge or payment with reference to some basis of calculation: a high rate of interest on loans.
• chasten — If you are chastened by something, it makes you regret that you have behaved badly or stupidly.
• recriminate — to bring a countercharge against an accuser.
• rule out — a principle or regulation governing conduct, action, procedure, arrangement, etc.: the rules of chess.
• call on — If you call on someone to do something or call upon them to do it, you say publicly that you want them to do it.
• call upon — to cry out in a loud voice; shout: He called her name to see if she was home.
• send for — to cause, permit, or enable to go: to send a messenger; They sent their son to college.
• take charge — able or seemingly able to take charge: She is a take-charge management type.
• read the riot act — an English statute of 1715 providing that if 12 or more persons assemble unlawfully and riotously, to the disturbance of the public peace, and refuse to disperse upon proclamation they shall be considered guilty of felony.
• put one's foot down — (in vertebrates) the terminal part of the leg, below the ankle joint, on which the body stands and moves.
• call the shots — The person who calls the shots is in a position to tell others what to do.
• call the tune — to be in control of the proceedings
• methodize — to reduce (something) to a method.
• ride herd on — a number of animals kept, feeding, or traveling together; drove; flock: a herd of cattle; a herd of sheep; a herd of zebras.
• lead by the nose — the part of the face or facial region in humans and certain animals that contains the nostrils and the organs of smell and functions as the usual passageway for air in respiration: in humans it is a prominence in the center of the face formed of bone and cartilage, serving also to modify or modulate the voice.
• rule the roost — a perch upon which birds or fowls rest at night.
• run the show — to cause or allow to be seen; exhibit; display.
• superabound — to abound beyond something else.
• head up — the upper part of the body in humans, joined to the trunk by the neck, containing the brain, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
• horn in — one of the bony, permanent, hollow paired growths, often curved and pointed, that project from the upper part of the head of certain ungulate mammals, as cattle, sheep, goats, or antelopes.
• deal out — If someone deals out a punishment or harmful action, they punish or harm someone.
• give it to — to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation; bestow: to give a birthday present to someone.
• stick it to — to pierce or puncture with something pointed, as a pin, dagger, or spear; stab: to stick one's finger with a needle.
• deal with — When you deal with something or someone that needs attention, you give your attention to them, and often solve a problem or make a decision concerning them.
• rake over the coals — a black or dark-brown combustible mineral substance consisting of carbonized vegetable matter, used as a fuel. Compare anthracite, bituminous coal, lignite.
• tongue-lash — to reprimand severely; scold
• crack the whip — to assert one's authority, esp to put people under pressure to work harder
• dress down — of or for a dress or dresses.
• put down — a throw or cast, especially one made with a forward motion of the hand when raised close to the shoulder.
• tell off — to give an account or narrative of; narrate; relate (a story, tale, etc.): to tell the story of Lincoln's childhood.
• jump on — to spring clear of the ground or other support by a sudden muscular effort; leap: to jump into the air; to jump out a window.
• light into — to get down or descend, as from a horse or a vehicle.
• take to task — a definite piece of work assigned to, falling to, or expected of a person; duty.