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Glite Dictionary
to hang a Ralph

to hang a Ralph

9.9
To throw up when you feel sick
  • idiom
  • Slang
translation icon : vomitar
  • She excused herself to the restroom to hang a Ralph.

Examples

  • I thought I was going to hang a Ralph after that spinning ride.

  • Don't hang a Ralph in the car!

  • If you eat too much candy, you might hang a Ralph later.

  • I think I might hang a Ralph if I keep eating this.

  • After that roller coaster, I had to hang a Ralph in the restroom.

  • Be careful not to hang a Ralph if you eat too quickly.

  • He felt nauseous and had to hang a Ralph before the movie started.

Synonyms

to vomit
vsto hang a Ralph
148 1.0

To force food and drink up from your stomach through your mouth

is slang and used in casual speech rather than neutral clinical language
to chuck
vsto hang a Ralph
  • UK
7 9.6

To be sick and bring food up from your stomach

is more slangy and marked as slang rather than ordinary informal usage
to chunder
vsto hang a Ralph
  • Australian
1 9.9

To throw up because you feel sick

is a single slang label rather than a wider informal expression
to boke
vsto hang a Ralph
  • Slang
1 9.9

To throw up when you feel sick

is not marked as British and functions as general slang
to bow down before the porcelain god
vsto hang a Ralph
  • Informal
9.9

To vomit into a toilet after drinking too much

is a short slang verb for the action without implying place or cause

Antonyms

to keep down
10 5.9

To stop yourself from throwing up food or drink

How Violent

to spew
  • Informal
9 5.7
to hurl
31 3.5
to hang a Ralph
  • Slang
9.9
to throw up
  • Informal
296 2.3
to be sick
109 1.7

Surface Forms

hang a Ralph infinitive
hanging a Ralph present participle
hangs a Ralph third person singular
hung a Ralph past
hung a Ralph past participle

Morphology

hang + a + ralph

The noun 'ralph' transparently names vomit, so a learner who knows that constituent will get a strong clue about the concept involved; however the verb 'hang' does not conventionally mean 'to vomit' or 'to produce' in standard compositional patterns, and this is a slang, idiosyncratic verbalization. Because the object gives partial meaning but the verb’s usage is metaphorical/slang and not fully predictable to a B1 learner, the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Hang a Ralph may come from using the name Ralph as a joking word for vomit and the verb hang giving a strong image of something coming up and hanging out of the mouth, so the phrase means 'to vomit'.