Cough up it may be a gold watch?!!?!?!?

[LairyLaura]

Where does the saying " cough it up it might be a gold watch" come from?

[Quizmonster]

Not a pretty story, but here goes...
It comes from the fact that, when someone is deeply clearing his throat with a view to spitting, the lump of phlegm which subsequently appears is often yellow. This is jokingly referred to as "a gold watch".

[Bill1999]

It actually stems from a court case re theft. Early 20th Century (?). A watch had been stolen, the suspect was being questioned where the watch was. He went into a coughing fit, and the watch turned out to be in his mouth. Coughing gave it away. It was a big story and became a saying. I heard this in 1980s from a 95 year old.