give (one) a hammering
1. To thoroughly beat or thrash one. Because my younger brother was always a shy, skinny kid, schoolyard bullies often gave him a hammering.
2. To soundly defeat or best one; to defeat one by a wide margin. Their team's inexperience showed on the pitch today, as the powerful squad from New Zealand really gave them a hammering.
3. To very strongly rebuke, criticize, condemn, or punish one. The principal gave Mark a hammering because of that prank he pulled in class yesterday.