the rough side of (one's) tongue
(redirected from the rough side of their tongues)the rough side of (one's) tongue
A harsh scolding or rebuke; a verbal lashing. The teacher gave us the rough side of her tongue after she caught us reading comics in the back of class. I know you feel they deserve the rough side of your tongue at times, but you need to show some restraint or you're going to lose their respect.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.