1
general::
Phrase(s): tell someone off
to scold someone; to attack someone verbally. (This has a sense of finality about it.) • I was so mad at Bob that I told him off. • By the end of the day, I had told off everyone else, too.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Rebuke severely, reprimand, as in It's time someone told her off about her behavior. There is Also a synonymous expression, tell someone where to get off, as in When he called back a third time, I told him where to get off. [Colloquial; early 1900s] Also see GET OFF, def. 7.
American Heritage Idioms