Green’s Dictionary of Slang

see under charlie (britt) n.

see under cheese n.³

see chuck the gab

1. to have a fit, esp. when only pretending; thus n. dummy-chucking, simulating an epileptic fit [orig. milit., to pretend to faint on parade in order to escape duties].

1880		Boston Medical and Surgical Journal CIII 650: A criminal lawyer whom he engaged to defend him advised him to ‘chuck a dummy’ in the court.
1881		New. Eng. Medical Gaz. 104 21: Landing in New York he recommenced dummy chucking, which, he says, was something new to the ‘crooked people’ of that city.
1885		M. Davitt Leaves from a Prison Diary I 116: I never had a real fit in all my life! What you saw the other day was what we call ‘chucking a dummy,’ or, as you might name it [...] ‘counterfeiting a fit.’.
1894		Hamilton & Godkin System of Legal Medicine 399: There is also a special class of criminals who feign epileptic attacks (‘chuck a dummy’) in public places to attract a crowd.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 17: Chucking a Dummy, shamming a fit in a crowd and causing excitement, so that pickpockets might operate.
1901		Argus (Melbourne) 20 Sept. 6/4: The woman who does a sham faint in public and so attracts a crowd is chucking a dummy.
1904		Sun (NY) 10 July 29/4: Here is a genuine letter written in thieves’ slang, recently found by the English police [...] I chucked a dummy while they buzzed the clys out of owt old blokes with nailcans.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.
1915		Lichfield Mercury 4 May 5/2: When a man faints on parade he is said to have ‘chucked a dummy’ .
1925		(con. WWI) Fraser & Gibbons Soldier and Sailor Words 55: Chuck A Dummy, To: To faint on parade (with a suggestion of malingering).
1930		‘Dean Stiff’ Milk and Honey Route 202: Chuck a dummy – To pretend a fainting fit.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 44/1: Chuck a dummy. To feign an injury or faint, either in an accident insurance racket, or in prison to shirk work or to obtain drugs.
1954		J. Phelan Tramp at Anchor 160: ‘Shall I chuck a dummy?’ That meant — should he have an epileptic fit.
1960		A. Burgess Right to an Answer (1978) 122: It’s dangerous to move ’em when they’ve chucked a dummy.
1960, 1975		Wentworth & Flexner DAS.

2. to absent oneself.

1917

W. Muir Observations of Orderly 229: A few other slang words which I have come across in the hospital, and which seem to me to bear the mark of the old army as distinct from the new are: [...] ‘chucking a dummy,’ being absent.

1. to fake a fit.

1889–90

Barrere & Leland Dict. of Sl., Jargon & Cant.

2. to have a fig. fit; to lose emotional control.

1928		D. Hammett ‘This King Business’ Story Omnibus (1966) 94: The trust company told Mrs. Grantham about it. She chucked a fit.
1938		H. Drake-Brockman Men Without Wives I i: He’d chuck a fit if he saw me now.

to praise enthusiastically, to ‘talk up’ inferior goods.

1859		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. 54: jolly a word of praise, or favourable notice; ‘chuck Harry a jolly, Bill,’ i.e., go and praise up his goods, or buy of him, and speak well of the article, that the crowd standing around his stall may think it a good opportunity to lay out their money. ‘Chuck a jolly,’ literally translated is to throw a shout or a good word.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 2: Chuck a Jolly - To ‘bonnet,’ to praise an article a mate is trying to sell; sometimes, to banter.
1886		Courier Jrnl (Louisville, KY) 24 Aug. 2/4: In London costermonger language, chuck a jolly is to buck up, or praise.
1889–90		Barrère & Leland Dict. of Sl., Jargon and Cant.

see under mag n.⁵

(Aus.) to ask for a second helping of food.

1982

N. Keesing Lily on the Dustbin 120: Kids who ‘do (or chuck) an Oliver’ and ask for more when more is not available may be advised ‘little fish are sweet’.

see separate entry.

to ignore, to ‘cut’.

1909

J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era 75/2: She chucked me a shoulder, an’ not the one want — an’ ’av been on hice ever the mortal since.

see separate entry.

see under slobber n.

see under slug n.¹

see under spaz n.

see under stall n.¹

see under swell n.¹

of a man, to have sexual intercourse.

1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.
1896		Farmer Vocabula Amatoria (1966) 162: Jaser (or jazer). To copulate; ‘to chuck a tread’.

see under turd n.

see under willie n.⁴

see under wobbly n.²

see throw (it) into v. (2)

see separate entries.

(Aus.) to pass out.

1906

Gadfly (Adelaide) 28 Mar. 9/1: Gets me on me back an’ the two of ’em starts bumpin’ me ’ead on the toepath. ’Twas no blanky picnic – take it frum me! An’ ’m just about chuckin’ me ace, when a John comes along, and whispers the little bloke with the ’ammer. ‘Oh, you leave ’im to me,’ says ’is nibs, ‘an’ I’ll give the scoundril all ’e wants.’.

see under biscuit n.¹

see under load n.

see under muck n.¹

1. to abandon, to dismiss, to throw over, to jilt.

1879		G.R. Sims Dagonet Ballads 84: I felt when that grey chucked us over as Providence meant it, maybe.
1894		A. Morrison Tales of Mean Streets (1983) 109: Everybody can make wot arrangements with ’is feller-men ’e likes for to carry on the business of life, but nothink can’t bind you. You chuck over the arrangement if it suits best.
1896		G.M. Fenn Sappers and Miners 311: Why, because they’ve chucked me over, sir.
1918		Sun (NY) 14 Apr. 17/1: Hebe [...] chucks over her medical studies.
1982		P. Bailey An Eng. Madam 77: Joss chucking me over for that French woman.

2. (Scot.) of a drink, to finish, to ‘down’.

2023

A. Parks To Die in June 207: Wattie chucked the rest of his pint over.

to ‘tell the tale’ for the purposes of begging or confidence trickery; to talk eloquently and articulately.

1932		F. Jennings Tramping with Tramps 111: No one who can ‘chuck the gab’ need work to-day if they don’t want to. [Ibid.] 118: If I could ‘chuck a chest’ (spin the tale) I ought to live in comfort.
1939		T. Victor From the Abyss to the Foreign Legion 199: All these looked upon us Légionnaires with admiring awe and so we ‘threw-a-chest". Why not? It was not often the Legion got the chance.

see separate entries.

a lucifer or non-safety match.

1909

J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.

(UK tramp) waste bread that would be thrown away were it not offered to tramps.

1909

J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.

a parish clerk.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Chuck farthing, a Parish-Clerk (in the Satyr against Hypocrites) also a Play among Boies.
1725		New Canting Dict.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict.
1759–67		Sterne Tristram Shandy (1949) 55: Labour stood still as he passed [...] even chuck-farthing and shuffle-cap themselves stood gaping till he had got out of sight.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1812–82		B.M. Carew Life and Adventures.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
c.1850		Duncombe New and Improved Flash Dict.

the vagina, esp. in the context of the half-crown chuck-office, a prostitute’s trick whereby she would stand on her head, exhibiting her spread vulva and clients would throw coins into the vagina.

1660		Mercurius Fumigosus 7 55: [Anyone] troubled with a standing Ague [...] to the Chuck-office at the six Wind-mills, and there he shall [...] be received into a Study of pleasure and exercise his Martiall Instruments at all prices, while his money lasts.
1660		Wandring Whore I 6: Witness Priss Fotheringham’s Chuck-office, where upon sight thereof, French Dollars, Spanish pistols, English Half-crowns are as plentifully pour’d in, as the Rhenish wine was into the Dutch wenches two holes till she roar’d again, as she was showing tricks upon her head with naked buttocks and spread legges in a round ring, like those at wrestling neer the Half-crown-chuck-office, call’d Jack-a-newberries-six windmills.
[1661		Hue and Cry after Mercurius Democritus 3: Every one taking a Meal sack in their mouths flew presently towards the six Wind-mills; where the mouths of the sack being open, and hanging downwards, there was such a shower of Wheaten flower [etc.]].
1661		‘Peter Aretine’ Strange Newes 2: Moll. I am destitute of any thing but the P — and the praise [...] I want the half-Crowns, though neglect of a Chuck-Office. Bette. Would I had thought of that before, I might then have borow’d Jack-a-Newberry’s six Wind-mills, they being hung out at my dore would have brough custom enough.
1723		C. Walker Authentick Memoirs of Sally Salisbury 68: With Eye intent, each Sportsman took his Aim; / The merry Chuck-Hole border’d on the Rump, [...] Within her tufted Chink, the Guineas shone.
1732		Harlot’s Progress 27: Moll would propose, / Each there should strip off all their Clothes, / [...] / And if the Cole did higher rise, / A Game at Chuck, a burning Shame!

see separate entries.

(UK gambling) tossing coins for money.

1824

History of Gaming Houses & Gamesters 4: [T]he low blackguard who ‘cuts the broads’ or ‘goes upon the chucking rig’ for half-pence.

(Aus./N.Z.) to sneer at, to speak sarcastically; the addition of at implies bantering, teasing.

1899		letter in Mount Barker Courier 7 Apr. 4/3: You take it from me, Mr. Editor, that cove’s been putting a bit on his fancy and he's fell in, and he wants to chuck off at us blokes ’cos he's narked.
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 23 June 32/2: Aggie ‘chucked-off’ in a particularly nasty way at the porter at Cheltenham, and a stand-up fight between him and Chuck was narrowly averted in consequence.
1915		C.E.W. Bean Anzac Book 31/2: Of course, sometimes one of ’em gets ’is back up and calls us sons of convicts in return for us chuckin’ off at ’im, and then he’s told a lot of things [...]; but Australia’s all right, mate. You need not be ashamed to be called a ‘Pommy’ out there.
1924		Queensland Times (Ipswich) 8 Mar. 11/3: I reckon it’s over the fence to chuck off at members like that.
1936		J. Curtis Gilt Kid 277: They were just the sort of people who got the boys a bad name and started people chucking off hot air about the ‘lower criminal classes’.
1941		Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl. 18: Chuck off at, to sneer at, chaff.
1959		G. Slatter Gun in My Hand 45: ‘I’m only chuckin off,’ he says. ‘Ya not a bad sorta joker.’.
1968		S. Gore Holy Smoke 65: Like chuckin’ off at Jesus, y’see?
1976		(con. 1934) A. Campbell Island To Island (1984) 87: We’d gang up on the kids who chucked off at us.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 47: chuck off at To tease or abuse. Early C20 ANZ.

to talk loudly and stupidly.

1895

E. Pugh Street in Suburbia 67: Wot d’ you know abart the ’Ouse o’ Lords? [...] A-chuckin’ yer fat abart ez if you wuz the G.O.M.

see toss one’s lollies under toss v.

to act in an arrogant, aggressive manner.

1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era 75/2: So ’e turned up, and chucked ’is weight about all over the blooming place.
1917		A.G. Empey Over the Top 28: Another piece of advice—don’t chuck your weight about until you’ve been up the line and learnt something.
1925		(con. WWI) Fraser & Gibbons Soldier and Sailor Words 55: Chuck One’s Weight About, To: To appear unduly important.
1938		L. Ron Hubbard letter 20 Oct. n.p.: Never seen one of these test pilots yet that didn’t have to chuck his weight around in print . . .
1945		D. Bolster Roll On My Twelve 26: So long as you pulls yer weight in the Mess an’ takes yer turn at dishin’ up an’ don’t chuck yer bleedin’ weight about the place.
1949		Wodehouse Mating Season 73: A Thing [...] starting to chuck its weight about.
1954		Wodehouse Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit 138: One of the baser sort who has been chucking his weight about.
1994		FidoNews 1 Aug. 🌐 Maybe the fact that he doesn’t come into the net and chuck his weight around should indicate that maybe FIDO is supposed to be a place to get away from the ‘real world’ problems.
2006		The Talk Zone at www.thejuice.com.au 29 May 🌐 He has a certain swagger, and he can chuck his weight around if he has to.

see separate entries.

(Aus.) to tease aggressively.

1906

Gadfly (Adelaide) 28 Mar. 9/1: Ain’t nothin’ doing’ [sic] ’cep’ in a little tin shanty they calls the Central Auction Mart, where a skinny little bloke is standin’ in a box sellin’ furnicher an’ things. I starts chuckin’ it up at ’im fer devilment, an’ ’e gets ropeable.