cough up
 cough up [  phrasal verb  ]
  cough up (something) or cough (something) up
  1 : to have (something, such as blood) come up through your throat and out of your mouth when you cough
   He was coughing up blood.
  2 informal : to give (something, such as money or information) to someone especially when you do not want to
   We had to cough up an extra hundred dollars for the car rental.
   The police made the suspect cough up the names of his accomplices.
  3 US, sports : to fail to keep or hold (something)
   The quarterback coughed up [=fumbled] the ball.
   They coughed up [=lost, gave up] the lead in the second half.
 • • •
 Main Entry: cough