Idiom Origins - Throw the book at someone - History of Throw the book at someone

Throw the book at someone

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Origin of: Throw the book at someone

Throw the book at someone

To throw the book at someone is to punish or prosecute someone to the fullest extent and is originally American and dates from c. 1930. The book referred to is imaginary and means the sum of all criminal charges and dates from the 1920s.