What is Throwaway in Ulysses?
Throwaway is the outsider horse that wins the Ascot Gold Cup on 16 June 1904, at 20 to 1. Bloom innocently tells Bantam Lyons he was going to “throw away” his newspaper; Lyons takes it as a tip. When Throwaway wins, the pub assumes Bloom won money and is hiding it.
Edited by Aidan O'Leary · Last updated 30 October 2026
Where it appears
Several episodes. Lenehan, in Barney Kiernan's pub, bringing the news of the race result.
Throwaway, says he, at twenty to one. A rank outsider.
What it means in plain English
The misunderstanding happens in Lotus Eaters. Bloom has bet nothing. But the drinkers in Cyclops believe he won and will not stand a round, which feeds their anger at him.
A crumpled flyer, also called a throwaway, floats down the Liffey all afternoon.
Literary context
Throwaway really did win the Gold Cup in 1904 at those odds.
References
- Ulysses, Episodes 5, 12, 14, 15 and 16
- Don Gifford with Robert J. Seidman, Ulysses Annotated (revised edition, 1988)
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Questions readers ask
Did Bloom bet on Throwaway?
No. He never placed a bet.
Related terms
Elijah
“Elijah is coming” is the headline of a religious flyer, a “throwaway”, handed to Bloom in Episode 8. He crumples it and throws it into the Liffey, and it floats through Wandering Rocks. In Circe, Elijah himself appears. In the Bible, the prophet's return announces the end of the world.
Barney Kiernan's
Barney Kiernan's is the pub on Little Britain Street where Episode 12, “Cyclops”, takes place. Bloom goes there to meet Martin Cunningham about Dignam's insurance and ends up in a row with the Citizen, who throws a biscuit tin at him.
The Citizen
The aggressive nationalist Bloom argues with in 'Cyclops' (Episode 12) — Joyce's one-eyed Cyclops.