Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a reprimand, a telling-off; also attrib.

1914		R. Lardner You Know Me Al (1984) 33: He gave one of the youngsters an awful bawling out for something he done in the game.
1928		R. Lardner ‘The Maysville Minstrel’ in Coll. Short Stories (1941) 3: Stephen had to take a severe bawling out for failing to squeeze blood from Maysville’s turnips.
1935		D. Lamson We Who Are About to Die 201: If he hollers to the captain, he gets a first-class bawlin’ out.
1940		E. O’Neill Long Day’s Journey into Night Act III: Then she got good and sore. [...] Gave me a grand bawling out.
1947		I. Shulman Amboy Dukes 65: The most that could happen would be another bawling out.
1953		J. Thompson Savage Night (1991) 88: You [...] let me in for a bawling out from that damned snotty Dodson.
1959		E. De Roo Young Wolves 75: She had that ‘balling-out’ tone in her voice.
1962		Ragen & Finston World’s Toughest Prison.
1977		A. Ayckbourn Ten Times Table I ii: Gave them a terrific balling out this morning.
1982		P. Bailey An Eng. Madam 130: A bawling-out excites him and spurs him on to greater effort.