Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(a) (US Und.) to cheat, to rob.

1859		Matsell Vocabulum 89: To cheat; to rob; to steal.
1966		J. Holledge Great Aust. Gamble 58: Bookmakers in every state still agree that Ossie Porter was the hardest man to throw in the game since World War II.

(b) (US) to do, to perform, to put across; thus thrower n.

1903		H. Hapgood Autobiog. of a Thief 48: Some of them escaped because they knew how to throw the innocent ‘con’ so well.
1907		‘Hugh McHugh’ Beat It 53: He’s a horse trader by profession and a con thrower by nature.
1922		P.A. Rollins Cowboy 76: The outlaw he began to throw talk.
1932		W.R. Burnett Giant Swing 45: ‘Well, if it ain’t Caruso himself. You throw a mean song, buddy’.
1967		J. Horton ‘Time and cool people’ in Trans-action 4 8/1: The younger dude feels a sense of pride when he can be on the set and throw a rap to an older dude.
1972		T. Kochman ‘Kinetic Element in Black Idiom’ in Kochman Rappin’ and Stylin’ Out 161: Later the black youngster discovers that it adds to his rep to be a good talker, to have a heavy rap that one can throw to a girl for the purpose of becoming intimate with her.

(c) (US) to shoot a bullet.

1892		F. Harris ‘The Best Man in Garotte’ in Elder Conklin & Other Stories (1895) 166: He [...] slowly drew the revolver from under the cloak. His hesitation was too much for the crowd. ‘Throw it through him, Jedge! Now’s your chance. Wade in, Jedge!’.
1929		E. Booth Stealing Through Life 302: Had to throw a slug or let him out [...] and we was too near through to start blasting.
1940		W.R. Burnett High Sierra in Four Novels (1984) 374: The copper throws a slug into Petty’s pal.
1955		C. Himes ‘Daydream’ in Coll. Stories 362: I threw a shot a [sic] the crack in the door, and broke for cover.
1964		R.D. Abrahams Deep Down in the Jungle 78: I throwed a thirty-eight shell through that motherfucker's head.
1972		J. Mills Report to the Commissioner 200: [H]e threw shots at me, so that’s attempted murder of a police officer.
1981		H. Gould Fort Apache, The Bronx 114: So anyway this Rasta throws three through the door, and one of ’em hits the wall about an inch from Donnelly’s head.
2002		R. Sullivan LAbyrinth 64: Suge [Knight] was becoming a sort of living urban myth, especially after gangbangers threw shots at him outside the Roxbury and Grand Slam nightclubs.

(d) (US Und.) to send to prison.

1904

‘Number 1500’ Life In Sing Sing 262: I can fall, but no bull could throw me.

(e) (US black) to cast a spell.

1935

Z.N. Hurston Hoodoo (1995) 179: She even throwed at me once, but she can’t do nothin’.

(f) (US Und.) to rob at gunpoint.

1950

Goldin et al. DAUL 222/1: Throw, v. To rob at pistol point.

(g) (US police) to pass over money (e.g. to ensure a request is carried out, to gain a favour).

1973		E.F. Droge Patrolman 33: I learned that it was a good idea to be around a break-in when the owner showed—so you wouldn’t miss out if he wanted to ‘throw’ you something for helping him check out the premises.
2014		D.B. Flowers Bangs 150: Bangs or Barrett threw Holmes some additional cash for good measure.

(h) (US) to sell, e.g. throw joints, to sell marijuana cigarettes.

1995

(con. 1985–90) P. Bourjois In Search of Respect 192: I never used to throw joints [...] But I was doing a lot of drugs.

(a) (also throw off) to lose deliberately, esp. in sports.

1853		N.Y. Clipper 25 June 1/5: After the race was over, the excitement on the track beggared description — some swearing that Nodine threw the race.
1867		Chicago Republican 28 July 4/3: The game of Thursday last with the ‘Forest City Club,’ of Rockford, was ‘thrown up’ for the purpose of enabling thieving gamblers to make bets against the ‘Excelsior Club’ of this city [DA].
1868		N.Y. Times 25 June 8/2–3: [He may have] thrown the race for the purpose of getting the odds heavy against him.
1868		H.W. Woodruff Trotting Horse of America 207: In all her hippodroming (and she was hippodromed with a good deal) her owner and driver never threw away a heat.
1887		G. Devol Forty Years a Gambler 83: You throwed that race, you s— of the b— , and I am going to lick you for it.
1897		Florence Trib. (AZ) 18 Dec. 1/3: I want to know what made you think I was going to throw that race!
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 10 Feb. 24/2: Gaffney says Tweedie wanted to square him to ‘throw it’ [...] and though he (Gaffney) pretended to agree, he nevertheless made up his mind to win – a task which, to his way of thinking, was akin to ‘falling off a log,’ for Tweedie couldn’t ‘brush a bee from a bucket.’.
1904		St Paul Globe 19 Dec. 5/2: He reiterated his vogorous denials of the charges President Hart is alleged to have made against him of ‘throwing’ games.
1912		Van Loan ‘Ten-Thousand-Dollar Arm’ in Ten-Thousand-Dollar Arm 21: It was hinted that the manager had thrown the game.
1927		R. Lardner ‘Hurry Kane’ in Coll. Short Stories (1941) 106: ‘I will give you twenty thousand dollars if you get beat.’ ‘I can’t throw my pals,’ said Kane.
1935		H. McCoy They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? in Four Novels (1983) 65: I wish I’d thrown the race.
1947		B. Schulberg Harder They Fall (1971) 245: Pretty soon the kid has to throw one or win one he doesn’t deserve.
1955		R. Graziano Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) 249: Rocky, have you ever taken any money to throw a fight?
1969		L. Schecter Jocks 3: [T]his book is about [. . . .] the dump, the fix, the thrown game, the shaved points, the cross and double cross.
1974		(con. 1960s) R. Price Wanderers 176: I think Chubby wants you to throw the game.
1974		D. Jenkins Dead Solid Perfect 45: I know good and well that you throwed off the City Championship once because you were 6-up [...] with only ten holes to play, and you lost.
1977		S. Stallone Paradise Alley (1978) 213: Ya threw the fight?! Ya blew everythin’!
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak.
1999		Observer 27 June 1: Tim May of Australia claimed that Salim had offered a bribe to throw a match.
2000		Guardian Sport 29 Apr. 12: Wrestlers [...] frequently threw matches for money.
2012		Mail & Guardian 13 Apr. 🌐 Were you ever asked to throw a fight?
2017		T. Pluck Bad Boy Boogie [ebook] The Ragin’ Cajun would throw the fight.

(b) (US) to get rid of, to overcome; of a police officer, to drop a charge or testify falsely to assure an acquittal.

1901		‘Hugh McHugh’ Down the Line 22: ‘You’re on a cold plate,’ whispered Wise Samuel, but he couldn’t throw me.
1913		Curran Report 8: That Policemen have received sums of money for testifying in such manner as to produce acquittals and discharges has been stated to us by many witnesses. So common is this practice that it is colloquially known as ‘throwing’ a case, or as a ‘turn out’.
1927		B. Cormack Racket Act II: I get slipped somethin’ good if I throw Joe Scarsi’s case.
a.1964		‘Honky-Tonk Bud’ in D. Wepman et al. Life (1976) 57: There were those who knew him, the agent who threw him, / And those who just came to stare.