Throw the book at sb là gì

Some laws or rules can be somewhat lenient, depending on the judge or person in charge. If one throws the book at someone, it means that person has decided to be as strict as possible.

Origin of Throw the Book at Someone Meaning

This expression originated in the first half of the 1900s. The book referenced in this idiom refers to a book of laws or rules. Therefore, the imagery of throwing a book at someone is one of a judge throwing a book of laws at a criminal as a punishment.

It is possible to use this expression for any type of punishment for which there are rules. However, it is most common when talking about a judge in a court of law choosing to punish a criminal.

Examples of Throw the Book at Someone Meaning

Amy: Did you hear about what happened to Alan?

Kimberly: No. What was it?

Amy: The police caught him drinking alcohol at a party. He was only 20 years old at the time, so they charged him with underage drinking. Nobody thought the judge would punish him much, so he pleaded guilty. He expected to have to do community service. However, the judge wanted to make an example out of him, so he threw the book at him. It’s not fair! Now he’ll be in jail for a long time.

Keira: This neighborhood requires all the homeowners to be a part of the homeowners association. You have to be careful because they have a lot of rules.

Rory: What kind of rules?

Keira: For example, you have to have your trash bins out no earlier than 10 p.m., and take it back in before 8 a.m., on each trash pickup day.

Rory: What will they do if you don’t comply?

Keira: They’ll throw the book at you! They’ll make you pay a fine, and if you don’t do that, they’ll take you to court. It’s intense.

More Examples

This example is about punishing a young person who is also a criminal.

• Eileen Pasternak, the North Hollywood robbery victim, also wanted tough action. “What she did was horrific,” Pasternak said. “I wanted them to throw the book at her.” –LA Times

This excerpt is about the US government trying to stop confidential leaks.

• “We will not allow rogue anonymous sources with security clearance to sell out our country,” Sessions said at a news conference at the Department of Justice, promising to hunt down leakers and then throw the book at them. –New York Post

Summary

The phrase to throw the book at someone means to punish someone as much as possible as allowed by the law or set of rules.

The only way forward is to throw the book at Manchester City, to dock dozens of points from the team, and relegate it to England’s second division, as happened to Italian side Juventus during the Calciopoli scandal. —Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 8 Feb. 2023 And if the New York Times’s sources are correct, the Justice Department will throw the book at him with a litany of charges ranging from conspiracy to securities fraud to money laundering to wire fraud. —Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 13 Dec. 2022 But before that can happen, a judge needs to throw the book at Gov. Whitmer. —Jimmy E. Greene, WSJ, 21 July 2022 Becker’s 10 articles of impeachment, which haven’t been formally introduced yet, attempt to throw the book at DeWine, listing just about every grievance conservatives have lodged about the governor’s coronavirus response. —Jeremy Pelzer, cleveland, 24 Aug. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'throw the book at.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near throw the book at

Cite this Entry

“Throw the book at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/throw%20the%20book%20at. Accessed 18 Nov. 2023.

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