The Legal Text You Didn't Want to HearA literal warning read to angry crowds before force

From the show

History of Phrases

Today, this phrase implies a stern lecture, but in 18th-century Britain, it was a legal requirement for crowd control. A public official had to stand before a mob and read a specific proclamation from the Riot Act of 1714 aloud. Once finished, the crowd had exactly one hour to disperse or face felony charges and potential military force.