Buzz
Whether it’s due to a nasty virus, a queasy car ride, or a brutal hangover, there will be moments when you need to expel your stomach’s contents. In those situations, you likely won’t have the time or energy to hunt for creative ways to describe it. Fortunately, the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) has you covered. DARE lists at least 37 unique expressions for vomiting from across the U.S.; here are 15 to use the next time you’re bowing to the porcelain throne.
1. LOSE YOUR BOOTS
Have you ever felt so ill that it seemed like your footwear was coming up too? This phrase captures that intense experience. Meaning to vomit excessively, lose your boots might be heard in Michigan and Washington. In California and Connecticut, you might say lose your bootheels; in Colorado, New York, and Ohio, toss your boots; and in Alaska, toss your bootheels.
Additional variations include lose your shoes and toss your shoelaces in the North and West, as well as lose your socks, which is sporadically used but particularly common in Texas and Central states.
2. LOSE YOUR TOES
This phrase describes vomiting intensely, especially in the North. In Michigan, California, New York, and Wisconsin, you might hear toss your toes; in Ohio, flip your toes; and in Illinois, vomit all the way from your toes. Other variations include vomit your toenails, lose everything but your toenails, hurl your toenails up, and, in severe cases, lose your boots and toenails
3. CASCADE
Definitely not the type of cascade you’d want to experience. This vivid term is particularly used in South Carolina but originated in England before making its way across the Atlantic, as noted in Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms (1848). The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) traces the earliest use of cascade back to 1771.
4. KOTZ
The term kotz originates from the German word kotzen, meaning "to vomit," and is often used in areas with German and Pennsylvania-German communities.
5. EMPTY YOUR STOMACH
If you’re in Texas and feeling nauseous, you might say you’re emptying your stomach or clearing your belly. Interestingly, emptying your stomach can also mean "to brag."
6. FEED THE FISH(ES)
Originally a seafaring expression for seasickness, feed the fishes later broadened to mean vomiting in general. Variations include feed fish and feed the goldfish.
7., 8., AND 9. URP, EARL, AND BURK
These terms are all imitative in nature. Urp is primarily used in the Mississippi Valley, Georgia, and the Southwest; earl in Indiana; and burk in Georgia. Earl can also function as a proper noun, as in, “Earl’s at the door” or “I’m about to meet Earl.” Additionally, burk can mean “an expulsion of gas from the intestines.”
10. RALPH
Another onomatopoeic term, ralph can be used as a verb (“Sounds like Tom’s ralphing”), a common noun (“There’s ralph on your shirt”), or a proper noun (“Ralph’s making another appearance”). The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) notes that the term emerged in the U.S. during the mid-1960s.
11. YORK
This term, synonymous with vomiting (and related to the Australian slang chunder), is particularly heard in Pennsylvania and the Great Lakes region. A more vivid (and somewhat offensive) variation is holler New York, another way to describe throwing up.
12. HEAVE UP JONAH
For those unfamiliar with the Old Testament tale, Jonah was swallowed by a whale, spent three days in its stomach, and was then vomited out. Thus, heave up Jonah means to vomit violently. This phrase is especially used in the North and North Midland regions.
13. LOSE YOUR LUNCH
Lose, spill, or toss your cookies is primarily used in the North and North Midland. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) traces the phrase back to the late 1920s as college slang: “An hour later, according to the log, ‘McFie shot his cookies’, the only instance of seasickness on the voyage.” Other variations include flash, park, cough up, or drop your cookies.
14. BLOW (OR LOSE) YOUR LUNCH
Looking for a less polite way to say vomit? Try blow your lunch. This expression might be heard in southwest Georgia and northwest Arkansas.
15. LOSE YOUR OKRA
If you’re feeling nauseous in Louisiana, you might say you’re about to lose your okra.
