throw (something) back at (one)
throw (something) back at (one)
1. To toss or hurl something back in the direction of one, especially in an aggressive, hostile, or disdainful manner. After my throw accidentally hit her in the nose, she threw the ball back at me and stormed off the field. I crumpled up their offer and threw it back at them.
2. To exploit some information or evidence as a means of accosting or upbraiding one. The boss throws that awful failure back at me anytime I ask for more responsibilities. The senator's political opponents were all too eager to throw the recent scandal back at him during the election.
3. To reject something that one has said or done in a rude and ungracious way. I tried to say sorry for what I did, but she just threw my apology back at me. The president has been accused of throwing her allies' support back at them following her latest UN address.
4. To cause or force some problem or issue to be resolved or dealt with by one who had originally or previously passed it along. The police essentially threw the issue back at us, claiming it was outside of their jurisdiction. Even though it was the editorial department who had introduced the new issues in the product, it was thrown back at the IT department to fix them.
See also: back, throw
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
throw something back at someone
Fig. to return a problem or difficulty to the person from whom it came. He said that the problem was mine alone, and he threw it back at me. I tried to get someone else to take care of it, but it was thrown back at me.
See also: back, throw
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
- throw back at
- throw back to
- throw (something) back to (one)
- pitch at
- pitch (something) at
- pitch (something) to
- lob
- lob (something) at
- lob at
- hurl out