British Slang For Throwing Up – 12 Examples

Written by Gabriel Cruz - Foodie, Animal Lover, Slang & Language Enthusiast

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The British, considered by some to be the pioneers of the modern English language, have some of the wildest, weirdest, and most creative slang words. The dialectical or regional variety combined with the various internal contexts brings some entertaining slang terminology. For this article, we will be discussing British slang terms relating to throwing up or the act of vomiting. Vomiting is a common but somewhat disgusting action, which assures some imaginative or euphemistic slang words. 

British Slang For Throwing Up (in Alphabetical Order)

Boke

Meaning:

  • (Verb) Coming from the Middle English term bolken which means “to belch,” this term is associated with burping and throwing up. It is dominantly used in Scotland and other Scottish regions. 
  • Example: You made me drink too much. I feel like I’m about to boke!

Chunder

Meaning:

  • (Verb) Another British slang for throwing up that may have come from the rhyming slang “Chunder Loo” which is equivalent to “spew.” While British in origin, the term is much more utilized in New Zealand and Australia.
  • Example: Move out! I’m about to chunder my lunch.

Cowk

Meaning:

  • (Verb) A Northern Scottish slang with an obscure origin, it primarily means to feel nauseated or to vomit. It can be spelled out as kawk and has been in use since the 1940s.
  • Example: Have some mint before you cowk out your mom’s dinner. 

Honk

Meaning:

  • (Verb) Under the British and Australian context, this slang primarily means to vomit or barf. However, it can also be used to describe something having a bad smell.
  • Example: You need to shower after getting drunk and honking out everything. 

Shoot The Cat

Meaning:

  • (Verb) Potentially of Dutch or Portuguese origin, this obsolete British slang means to throw up, especially when under the effects of seasickness. 
  • Example: My first Navy patrol routine had me shooting the cat. I overcame it later on. 

Sick Up

Meaning:

  • (Verb) A simple but common slang for throwing up in the British dialect.
  • Example:  He sicked up his dinner because he got food poisoning at lunch.

Speaking Welsh

Meaning:

  • (Verb) Due to Welsh being a complex and hard-to-use term, “Speaking Welsh” implies the imitation of the sound of a person vomiting. This slang is also used for a person throwing up and sounding like some sort of Welsh conversation. 
  • Example: Stop speaking Welsh. We may have to take you to the doctor after. 

Spewing

Meaning:

  • (Verb) Coming from Germanic words that mean “to spit,” spew was primarily used to describe flooding or overflowing. However, it would, later on, be used for vomiting due to the “spitting out or overflowing” of the contents of your stomach. 
  • Example: I drank too much last night and had been spewing all night long. 

Talk To Hughie

Meaning:

  • (Verb) Another slang relating to the imitation of the sound of vomit is similar to “Speaking Welsh” since “Hughie” sounds like vomit noises. When you are “talking to Hughie,” you are throwing up profusely. 
  • Example: You got me talking to Hughie after that rollercoaster ride.

Vom

Meaning:

  • (Verb) This simplistic British slang comes from the shortening of the term “vomit.” It means the same as throwing up.
  • Example: I felt relieved after going to the loo and vomming. 

Wallace And Gromit

Meaning:

  • (Verb) The Cockney rhyming slang for vomit. It comes from the popular British animated television franchise. 
  • Example: I can’t handle hearing or seeing people throwing up. I instantly Wallace and Gromit. 

Whitying

Meaning:

  • (Verb) Another Scottish slang, primarily from the Glasgow region, means to throw up or be withdrawn due to a nauseating condition. It refers to the person losing their color and turning pale or white before and after vomiting. 
  • Example: He just suddenly started whitying. We didn’t know that he had been sick all day long. 

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