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general::
Phrase(s): take names
Sl. to make a list of wrongdoers. (Often figuratively, referring to a schoolteacher making a list of the names of misbehaving students to be sent to the principal.) • The boss is madder than hell, and he’s taking names. • Gary is coming by to talk about the little riot last night, and I think he’s taking names.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs