1
general::
see EAT OUT, def. 2., Also, eat someone up. Rebuke or scold someone sharply, as in He was always eating out the kids, or Why are you eating me up? I haven't done anything wrong. This slangy synonym for CHEW OUT probably originated as a euphemism for EAT SOMEONE'S ASS OUT. It dates from the 1940s, the variant from the 1840s. Also see the subsequent entries beginning with EAT OUT.
American Heritage Idioms