"it threw me a book"

Hey guys, can anyone tell me what the expression "it threw me a book" means? I'm pasting the sentence in which I heard the expression in for reference.

"It threw me a book to see the file we had at the server looked way better than the one sent by our RTL resource!"

Thanks!
Adam

throw the book at

Punish or reprimand severely, as in I just knew the professor would throw the book at me for being late with my paper.This expression originally meant "sentence a convicted person to the maximum penalties allowed," the book being theroster of applicable laws. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1900s.
See also: book, throw
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Does that have any sense? I actually can't remember where did I heard that phrase before.. :confused::confused:

Hi Matias, Yes, I've heard the expression in that fashion, but I thought that expression only applied when referencing a sentence passed down by the law. I don't really see how it would apply to the sentence below. Am I missing something here?

"It threw me a book to see the file we had at the server looked way better than the one sent by our RTL resource!"

Hi Adam

That phrase does normally apply to legal punishment but I suppose you could use it metaphorically to say somebody gave you the maximum in aggravation; as in "I came to work late again and my boss threw the book at me"; however, the subject sentence makes no sense to me:

"It threw me a book to see the file we had at the server looked way better than the one sent by our RTL resource!"

I suspect that it was a misuse, or misunderstanding of the use, of the phrase or a mixed up combination of two different phrases (it threw me for a loop) ... unless maybe it's new slang.

Hi Vicente,

Yes, I'm guessing it was a misuse of the expression too. I hadn't even made the connection between the use in the sentence and the expression.

Now the question is do I let the person know or do I let it slide :D.

Thanks!
Adam

It seems pretty clear that he meant that he was really surprised so I'd find something that expressed that reaction. Like the Spanish equivalent of "took me by surprise"; or "It blew my mind"

If it were me I'd ask the person what the heck that meant...just to be certain...and just to see what they say;)

Oh, and report back to the foro!!:)

Once again you're right Vicente! You should have been a investigator!

He meant to use it as "It blew his mind" but in a negative way.

Mystery solved!

Cool! ;)