bawling out
- noun
- Informal
:
reprimenda
- The teacher gave the student a bawling out after he was caught cheating on the test.
Examples
-
He rather liked the constant stuffy warmth of the room and didn't care much for the fans, but it had been quite a sight, Kusum bawling out the leaders of tomorrow, and he was proud of her.
Fiction book (1990) -
When the team lost the match, the coach delivered a harsh bawling out to motivate them for the next game.
-
After the mishap during the presentation, the manager's bawling out left everyone in shock.
Synonyms
8
6.7
An angry talk that tells someone they did something wrong
7
3.3
A strong angry talk that tells someone they did something wrong
5
6.5
A strong angry talk that tells someone they did wrong
5
7.6
A strong angry talk that scolds someone for a mistake
1
6.3
A strong angry talk that tells someone they did something wrong
1
9.0
Severe criticism or punishment using harsh words
1
7.7
A strong angry talk that tells someone they did something wrong
1
8.5
A harsh telling off given for a serious mistake
1
7.0
A severe scolding for doing something wrong
1
7.4
A strong scolding you get for doing something wrong
1
8.8
A strong scolding you get when someone is angry with you
A loud angry scolding for someone who did something wrong
Antonyms
How Harsh
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a severe scolding' is directly derivable from combining 'bawl' (to cry or yell loudly) with the particle 'out' which gives a sense of directing or fully expressing that yelling at someone. This phrasal-verb composition (yell + out → yell at/scold) follows a common, fairly literal pattern that a B1 learner who knows the constituents can readily infer.
Etymology
Bawling out comes from the image of someone being shouted at very loudly: bawl means to shout or cry loudly and out shows the shout is full and aimed at a person. That's why it now means 'a severe scolding' or 'being told off'.