Re: coup de semonce

"Sean McIlroy"
> hi all
>
> i heard this phrase for the first time on the news the other day, and
> like an idiot i looked it up in the dictionary instead of listening to
> the rest of the story. is it more-or-less equivalent to "reading
> someone the riot act"? thanks for any insight you can offer.
>
A "coup de semonce" is a term used in the navy and is literally
a cannon shot used as a warning to signal a ****p that she enters
a dangerous or forbidden area.

Figuratively, a "coup de semonce" is a warning, one you
shoudn't take lightly.

<http://www.cnrtl.fr/lexicographie/semonce>