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Throw down
Definitions
- 1 To cause something one is holding to drop, often forcefully. transitive
"The soldiers threw down their weapons and surrendered."
- 2 To destroy or demolish. dated, transitive
"to throw down a tower"
- 3 To produce or perform (something) admirably or forcefully. idiomatic, slang, transitive
"...this guide tracks the artists and recordings that throw down the funk!"
- 4 To accomplish or produce something in a grand, respectable, or successful manner; to "represent". broadly, idiomatic, intransitive, slang
"Yeah, they could literally throw down. When their sound came out, it was earth-shaking."
- 5 To drink a large amount quickly. idiomatic, intransitive, slang
""We need to finish these five pitchers in half an hour, so throw down as fast as you can!""
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- 6 To fight; to make a stand. idiomatic, intransitive, slang
"Let's you and me 'throw down' right here, right now!"
- 7 To make an individual contribution to a group effort (e.g. money pool, collaborative record album). idiomatic, intransitive, slang
""We're goin' in on a pizza; you in?" "Yeah, I'll throw down.""
Etymology
US, popularized 1970s in street culture, from idiom throw down the gauntlet (“to issue a challenge”), used in sense “to fight, to incite a fight, to make a stand” or otherwise get about partying with abandon (first used by Jay Johnson in Detroit in 1978 - taken nationally by Cecil Franklin, manager/brother of Aretha Franklin). Sense of “accomplish something respectable” evolved from sense “to make a stand, to exhibit, to demonstrate (in a challenging way)” inherent in the fighting sense. Sense of “to make a contribution” likely influenced by sense “to make a stand”, as in “are you in?”, “will you stand up and contribute?”
See also for "throw down"
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