Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also do the seven) to die.

1889		Dead Bird (Sydney) 20 July 6/1: He pegged out and threw a seven.
1894		H. Lawson ‘Martin Farrell’ in Roderick (1967–9) I 269: I am pretty cronk and shaky — too far gone for hell or heaven / An’ the chances are I’m goin’—that I’m goin’ to ‘do the seven’.
1897		Capricornian (Rockhampton) 6 Feb. 30/4: I would have chucked the seven out there on the Barcoo, but I stuck to rum and it pulled me through.
1904		Sun. Times (Perth) 18 Sept. 4/7: He left, when he a seven threw, / One hundred and fifty thousand pounds.
1906		Sun. Times (Perth) 16 Sept. 4/7: The bar-parlor otterman, what Little Willie chucks a seven on.
1914		Bulletin (Sydney) 3 Sept. 48/1: If you shoot that dog, I will fire on you. / Put up your gun, or a seven you’ll throw.
1918		C.J. Dennis ‘Wheat’ in Backblock Ballads 24: You’re [...] deservin’ of a velvet cushion seat / In the cocky-farmers’ heaven when you come to throw a seven.
1919		Sun. Times (Perth) 9 Mar. 7/4: [The digger] rarely ever says a cobber has been killed, it’s always [...] ‘’E’s chucked a seven’.
1924		C.J. Dennis ‘Spike Wegg’ in Rose of Spadgers 149: I’ve to speak / Me piece, to be took down in black an’ white, / In case I chuck a seven overnight.
1924		(con. WWI) A.G. Pretty Gloss. Sl. [...] in the A.I.F. 1921–1924 (rev. t/s) n.p.: throw a seven. To die. Probably arose from dicing. It was impossible to throw a seven spot: it is humoriously [sic] called a shooting case to do so if it were possible. [Ibid.] n.p.: throw six and a half. Almost to die.
1926		L.C.E. Gee Bushtracks and Goldfields 32: They all reckoned that it was touch and go with me, that I was a ‘goner’, that I was bound to ‘throw a seven’ [GAW4].
1931		Townsville Daily Bull. (Qld) 7 July 11/5: I must have something to eat or I’ll chuck a seven before I leave this station.
1960		J.P. Donleavy Fairy Tales of N.Y. II iii: mott.: She’s out of it for keeps. how.: You mean she threw a seven?
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 602: The body was found the next day [...] ‘Well well... so he threw a seven at last... he had it coming to him,’ was Freddie’s response.

2. to lose emotional control, to become hysterical (cf. chuck a sixer v. (1)).

1899		W.T. Goodge Hits! Skits! and Jingles! 17: You could bet on me chuckin’ the seven If she slung me for some other bloke!
1932		A.W. Upfield Royal Abduction 201: If she sees the thing she won’t scream and throw a seven. She’ll shoot .
1968		‘Hy Lit’ Hy Lit’s Unbelievable Dict. of Hip Words 41: throw a seven – The stud snapped out, fell out of his tree; blew his cool.

3. to suffer misfortune.

1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 10 Nov. 32/1: My luck is gone – I always throw the seven! / Each spec. I have doth fail – / I am the Only Genuine Jonah – yea and even / I’ve lost my blessed whale.
1901		Bulletin (Sydney) 12 Oct. 25/1: A well-known Australian racer can’t stand anything touching his chest, so when his party ‘ain’t looking’ the neddy always wears a breastplate braced tight. Then whip and spur won’t urge him beyond the ordinary hand-gallop, and the punter throws a seven.

4. to succeed.

1924

Rosa Henderson ‘Do That Thing’ 🎵 You throwed a seven; / Don’t choke ’em, bring me eleven.

5. to faint.

1958

V. Kelly Greedy Ones 104: ‘Throwing a seven?’ ‘Collapsing – having a fit – fainting.’.

6. to vomit.

1966

T. Ronan Once there was Bagman 217: Before long I was chucking sevens around the flat as I had done a few years before when I had that touch of ptomaine poisoning .