throw up, v. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

throw up v.

1. (also throw up one’s guts) to vomit [abbr. throw up one’s accounts ].

1732		J. Arbuthnot Nature of Ailments (1735) 313: It is easy to judge of the Cause by the Substances which the Patient throws up .
1797		M. Leeson Memoirs (1995) III 222: I drank four ounces of thebiad tincture [...] I found myself extremely weak; grew sick in my stomach and threw up a deal of stuff.
1839		T. Haliburton Letter-bag of the Great Western (1873) 33: We have lots of land lubbers on board [...] swindlers who ‘cut and run’ — military men who ‘surrender at discretion’ – boys that quarrel, and ‘throw up at cards.’.
1843		R.S. Surtees Handley Cross (1854) 264: ‘Threw up’ doesn’t mean vomitin’ mind, but standin’ starin’ with their ’eads up.
1864		M. Lemon Jest Book 252: A friend remarking to Plunkett how sick of his promotion the passage must have made the new comer; ‘Yes,’ replied the ex-chancellor, ruefully, / ‘But it won’t make him throw up the seals.’.
1889		Dead Bird (Sydney) 12 Oct. 2/2: ‘This ceaseless toil is enough to make a man throw up the sponge’ [...] ‘I’ve been hunting the house over for that sponge since Sunday. What on earth did you swallow it for?’.
1904		G.M. Hewett Rat 185: They put down a slow poison, which a dog or cat can throw up, [...] but which will certainly kill a rat, just because he cannot vomit.
1912		R.W. Brown ‘Word-List From Western Indiana’ in DN III:viii 592: throw up, v. To vomit. ‘He ate some green apples and I think he’s going to throw up.’.
1925		Dos Passos Manhattan Transfer 355: I cant eat anything without throwin up.
1938		joke cited in G. Legman Rationale of the Dirty Joke (1968) I 102: I played with your dolly all night. It’s funny though. When I touched it, it sat up, then it stood up, then it threw up, then it fainted.
1949		‘Hal Ellson’ Duke 4: You throw up the first time and feel dizzy.
1958		W. Talsman Gaudy Image (1966) 164: You can’t drink that all day [...] That sweetness hits me right where I throw up.
1967		L. Bruce Essential Lenny Bruce 57: The fellow throwing up on the waitress’s tits.
1970		B. Oakley Salute to the Great McCarthy 160: I [...] there, in my one true home, my bedroom and toilet, throw up my guts.
1978		S. King Stand (1990) 244: Bring the basin. I think I’m going to throw up!
1985		J. Sullivan ‘Sleeping Dogs Lie’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] Makes you wanna throw up don’t it?
1993		K. Lette Foetal Attraction (1994) 93: The first time I gave a blow job [...] I threw up.
2003		P. Cornwell Blow Fly (2004) 20: Oh shit! I’m gonna throw up.
2011		IOL News (Western Cape) 9 June 🌐 The boy claimed he was forced to perform oral sex to adults. ‘It tasted bad. I wanted to throw up’.
2015		S. King Finders Keepers (2016) 252: D’you think you’re done throwing up?
2017		T. Spicer Good Girl Stripped Bare 121: ‘Skolling then throwing up’.

2. to express one’s allegiance to a gang; to make the crew’s hand sign or to place one’s name on a piece of graffiti; also in non-gang contexts, e.g. one’s home.

1985		T.R. Houser Central Sl. 53: throw-up-the-set Showing the gang set, or handsign.
2001		(con. 1990s) in J. Miller One of the Guys 67: ‘[What makes it a gang is] the name, the way we write it, the stackin’, the prayer, the throwin’ it up’.
2002		The NG Team 🌐 Graffiti is a form of expression the inner city youth use to express their god given artistic talents, and their defiance against the cities authority [...] Throw up your name and crew into fame cause that’s the game we play, so what you gonna say?
2007		Young Jeezy ‘White Girl’ 🎵 Blowing my smoke, throwing up the fours (oh!).
2016		Jeezy ‘Goldmine’🎵 He throwing up his hood cause it's a gold mine / He said he'll never leave.

In phrases

throw up at (someone) (v.) (also throw up to someone)

(Aus.) to criticize someone.

1926		N.Z. Truth 4 Feb. 5/4: he was always ‘slinging off’ at his wife and ‘throwing up other women at her’.
[1932		C. McKay Gingertown 64: Ain’t nobody wanting their bad points thrown up to them as nasty as that].
1959		D. Hewett Bobbin Up (1961) 18: Don’t you sling shit at me,’ she shrieked. ‘Don’t you throw up at me about the kids on the State and one dead.’.

throw up one’s accounts (v.) [var. on cast up one’s accounts under cast v.]

to vomit.

1763

C. Johnston Reverie I 135: Challenging him to fight, and before he can be on the guard, hitting him a plump in the bread-basket, that shall make him throw up his accounts .

throw up one’s boots (v.)

(US) to vomit intensely.

1867		‘Mark Twain’ Alta Calif. 15 Mar. 🌐 Last night, as usual, Isaac intruded upon the Captain’s dog-watch lunch – which is, or should be, sacred to himself – and got into trouble. One of the passengers put something into his tea that came near making him throw up his boots.
1873		W.H. Thomes Bushrangers 17: ‘How long,’ he asked, ‘must I suffer with this gol darned sickness? I feel as though I should throw up my boots.’.

throw up one’s guts (v.)

to confess.

2010

(con. 1973) C. Stella Johnny Porno 317: He’s probably throwing up his guts right now [...] which means they’re gonna come knocking on my door.

throw up one’s heel-taps (v.) (also throw up one’s toes, ...one’s toenails) [vomit up one’s toenails v.]

(US) to vomit copiously.

1905		J.W. Carr ‘Words from Northwest Arkansas’ in DN III:i 98: throw up one’s toenails, throw up one’s toes, v. phr. To vomit vehemently and copiously. ‘It made me so sick at my stomach, I threw up my toenails.’.
1914		G.D. Chase ‘Further Word-Lists – Maine’ in DN IV:ii 153: throw up one’s heel taps, v. phr. To vomit. ‘The egg was so bad I liked to throw up my heeltaps.’.

throw up one’s ring (v.)

see spew one’s ring under ring n.