Question

Call You on the Carpet to call a person before an authority for a scolding

Accepted Answer

My piano teacher called me on the carpet today. He could tell I hadn't practiced all week. There was an expression in Britain in the early 1800s, "to walk the carpet." That referred to a servant's being called into the parlor (which was always carpeted, unlike the servants' quarters) to be scolded by the master or mistress of the house. Later the saying was applied to an unlucky employee being called to the boss's office (also carpeted) to be bawled out. Today, if anyone in authority scolds you, you are being "called on the carpet" no matter how the floor is actually covered.

Idiom	Call You on the Carpet
Example	My piano teacher called me on the carpet today. He could tell I hadn't practiced all week.
Meaning	to call a person before an authority for a scolding
Origin	There was an expression in Britain in the early 1800s, "to walk the carpet." That referred to a servant's being called into the parlor (which was always carpeted, unlike the servants' quarters) to be scolded by the master or mistress of the house. Later the saying was applied to an unlucky employee being called to the boss's office (also carpeted) to be bawled out. Today, if anyone in authority scolds you, you are being "called on the carpet" no matter how the floor is actually covered.

Called Call Carpet Authority Piano Teacher Today I