does “hacking up a lung” mean" cough violently"? I hurry to finish my cereal since the bus comes in five minutes. Kylie runs in, grunts hello to Dad, grabs her lunch bag from the fridge, and runs out the door. No good mornings. No happy birthdays. “She means well,” Dad says. “No she doesn’t,” I reply. He laughs, and then starts hacking up a lung.