Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Irish) to attack verbally, to scold severely.

1943		‘Myles na gCopaleen’ Faustus Kelly in ‘Flann O’Brien’ Stories & Plays (1973) 121: The Chairman’s late every night but always in time to bawl off some unfortunate man that’s two minutes later.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
1950		S. Murphy Stone Mad (1966) 53: When I joked him about them he bawled me off properly.
1961		V.S. Naipaul A House For Mr Biswas 249: Aunt Sushila bawl off the men when they was loading the galvanize on the lorry.
1977		(con. 1960s) Nicholson & Smith Spend, Spend, Spend (1978) 193: You might get bad-tempered and ball me off.