riot act

Riot Act. A 1714 English statute that made it a capital offense for 12 or more rioters to continue together for an hour after a magistrate has officially proclaimed that rioters must disperse. • This statute was not generally accepted in the United States and did not become a part of American common law. It did, however, become a permanent part of the English language in the slang phrase reading the Riot Act (meaning “to reprimand vigorously”), which originally referred to the official command for rioters to disperse.
专业法律词汇 词条贡献者
双语律师Peter,毕业于法国一流的高级翻译学院,擅长翻译涉及基础建设领域的法律文件。
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