Blog de Phrasal Verbs

Definition:     To impose a severe penalty on someone; to give the maximum penalty for a crime.

Example:

1) His crime was so cruel and inhumane that they threw the book at him.
2) The judge told my lawyer that he is going to throw the book at me unless I beg the court for mercy.

Etymology:     Slang. 'The book' is the entire collection of laws and penalties. If a judge were to 'throw' the whole book of laws at someone, it would probably hurt quite a bit.