chuck n.2
1. a toss, a throw.
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Hist. of the Two Orphans IV 146: Richmond then laid down his pipe, and immediately took the countryman, what Copper called, a chuck under the jaw, which made him reel to the other side of the room. | |
| Punch 2 June 264/1: The average number of chucks at cocoa-nuts before achieving success is six [F&H]. |
2. the act of rejection, usu. as the chuck and usu. in the context of terminating a relationship or a term of employment; see phrs. below.
3. a verdict of not guilty.
| Jottings from Jail 24: Mike, whose record is ‘7 or the chuck for a clock,’ i.e., he hopes to be acquitted, but rather expects seven years for stealing a watch. | |
| Dict. of Sl., Jargon and Cant. | |
| Hartlepool Northern Dly Mail 9 Apr. 2/2: Thieves’ Dialect [...] ‘chuck,’ acquittal. | |
| Villain’s Tale 154: Whenever he had gone for trial before it was always after full committal proceedings, when everything Old Bill had was put up and challenged, and a chuck was looked for at the end. |
4. (Aus.) vomit.
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | Barry McKenzie [comic strip] in Complete Barry McKenzie (1988) 81: Some sheilahs don’t like kissing blokes with chuck on their breath. | |
| Traveller’s Tool 26: A billabong of hot, salmon-pink chuck that Stan Blake had just parked on the top step. | |
![[Scot]](/static/img/flags/sco.png "Scotland") | Gutted 255: The sight of the yob’s remains [...] was enough to have me holding back some chuck. I started to retch. |
5. (Aus.) an act of vomiting.
| Barry McKenzie [comic strip] in Complete Barry McKenzie (1988) 53: Sky pilots are lucky havin’ them dog collars. At least they can enjoy a good chuck without having to tuck in their tie. | |
![[NZ]](/static/img/flags/nz.png "New Zealand") | Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 28/1: chuck to vomit; often ‘have a chuck’. | |
| Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988]. |
6. (Aus.) a temper tantrum.
| Breaking Out 132: She got a bit cheesed off when Blooch had a chuck or a fight at a party. | |
| Lily on the Dustbin 80: They are subject to temper tantrums, which they call ‘chucks’, at an age when well-adjusted children have learned to cope with, and master, every-day irritation. |
In phrases
(US Und.) to conspire with the police against a fellow criminal.
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | ‘Chatter of Guns’ in Sat. Eve. Post 13 Apr.; list extracted in AS VI:2 (1930) 132: drop the chuck on, v.phr. Frame on with the police. | |
| et al. DAUL 62/2: Drop the chuck on. (East, except N. Y. and N. J.) To testify against, or otherwise aid the police in convicting, an associate. |
1. to be rejected as a lover.
| ‘’Arry on Marriage’ in Punch 29 Sept. 156/2: Wot’s the good of a way with the women all round when a cove’s got the chuck? | |
| Bulletin (Sydney) 30 July 14/2: Since that she won’t let me walk in sight iv ’er vision; fair slung me th’ chuck.’. | |
| Limehouse Nights 151: His white girl, Pansy Greers, had given him the chuck. |
2. to be dismissed from employment; expelled from school.
| ‘’Arry on Commercial Education’ in Punch 26 Sept. in (2006) 125: Lost a pot on Lord Muttonhead’s ‘moral,’ and now I ’ave got the clean chuck. | |
| Hooligan Nights 57: The servant got the chuck. | |
| Materials for a Dict. of Aus. Sl. [unpub. ms.] 46: COPPING THE BULLET: getting dismissed: synonymous with getting sacked, getting the wallop, getting the sack, getting shunted, getting fired [...] getting shot, get the chuck. | |
| Hist. of Mr Polly (1946) 70: ‘You’ll get the Chuck,’ she said. | |
| Down Donkey Row 75: Give the old man the chuck. | |
| Dict. of the Teenage Revolution 39: From the 1920s to the 1950s the expression was ‘to give or get the chuck’. | |
| Sopranos 316: [of expulsion from school] You won’t get the chuck; they can’t chuck me out and they won’t to yous. |
3. of a criminal, to be found not guilty in court.
| A Prisoner’s Tale 47: Two of the others, including Tully, got a chuck, the third a retrial. |
to dismiss from a job, to get rid of, to end a relationship.
| Hants. Advertiser 24 Feb. 7/6: I tried to give her the chuck with ’aughty scorn. Still she would ’ang about — had no pride. | |
| ‘’Arry on Competitive Examination’ in Punch 1 Dec. 253/2: And this is wot Cramming has brought us to, Charlie! Him give me the chuck / Becos he can spell a bit better. | |
| ‘’Arry on Harry’ in Punch 24 Aug. 90/1: And to ask Punch to give me the chuck! — yah! it’s mean, Mister Harry, it’s mean! | |
| Mord Em’ly 185: ‘If it gets known,’ said Mord Em’ly, sighing, ‘everybody ’ll give me the chuck.’. | |
| Bulletin (Sydney) 27 Sept. 17/1: ned: ‘Hello! So Sis ez give yer the chuck, eh?’ / denny: ‘Well, yer can’t blame ‘er fer slingin’ the likes o’ me.’. | |
| Shadows of the Night in Illus. Police News 8 June 12/3: ‘He — gave me the sack last quarter’ [...] ‘Oh, the Squire was going to let you have the chuck, was he?’. | |
| Woman Tamer in Ballades of Old Bohemia (1980) 73: chopsey: So you want to give me the chuck – me for – Bongo Williams. / katie: [...] Yes, you’ve done your dash, Chopsey. / chopsey: Bongo – the beer sparrer? | |
| Trying Out Torchy 1: [W]hen I ain’t worth what I draw down on Saturday I want ’em to give me the chuck. | |
| Making of an Englishman III 299: I was on the road for a bit after I gave Bert the chuck. | |
| letter 29 Nov. in Thwaite Sel. Letters (1992) 270: Now they’ve given you the chuck: / You must find new cocks to suck / – Bloody funny! |
to abandon, to stop an action, to dismiss, to throw over, to jilt.
| Le Slang. |