Thread: швырять

зрители швыряли гнилыми яйцами в танцоров.

In this sentence, why is "гнилые яйца" in instrumental? I initially thought that the verb takes the instrumental case, but then I checked and found something that confused me more. It said:

швырять деньги/деньгами

Why the choice of cases?

I would be greatful if someone could please elaborate on this. Thanks!

It means to throw, or hurl. It's colloquial.

The instrumental case is used for the tool, instrument with which something is done.

So the instrumental is used because it is what they are throwing. I'm not sure what difference the use of the accusative would make though.

Thanks! But why are the rotten eggs the instrument? They are the direct object. The instrument would be like their hands or something, right?

They hurled the rotten eggs with their hands.

Wow...i hate this verb.

зрители швыряли гнилыми яйцами в танцоров

A very odd sentence. Probably grammatically correct, nevertheless it doesn't sound right to me. Both cases are possible, but I'd use different verb forms: either швыряли гнилые яйца, or швырялиcь гнилыми яйцами. However, I wouldn't really say швырялись чем-то в кого-то, I'd say either швырялись чем-то, or швыряли что-то в кого-то, in other words I find only one construction to be corret in the above context, namely зрители швыряли гнилые яйца в танцоров. (And I'd say "будьте осторожны, они швыряются гнилыми яйцами.) And while we're on about it, do гнилые and яйца collocate? I'd say it's more natural to say тухлые яйца.

Yes, VM has a point here.