Idiom Topics
The Ubiquitous Essentials
10- On the other hand
- At the end of the day
- In the long run
- Bear in mind
- A piece of cake
- Keep an eye on
- Out of the blue
- Rule of thumb
- So far, so good
- Behind the scenes
Everyday Casual & Workplace
10- Under the weather
- Call it a day
- Up in the air
- Wrap your head around
- Break the ice
- Get out of hand
- Go the extra mile
- Touch base
- Hit the nail on the head
- Cut corners
Problem Solving & Interaction
10- See eye to eye
- Read between the lines
- Take it with a grain of salt
- Get the hang of it
- Give the benefit of the doubt
- The elephant in the room
- Hit the ground running
- Play it by ear
- Bite the bullet
- Sit on the fence
Decisions & Perspectives
9- Jump on the bandwagon
- Cross that bridge when we come to it
- The best of both worlds
- A blessing in disguise
- Once in a blue moon
- Pull someone's leg
- Miss the boat
- Better late than never
- Get your act together
Colorful & Traditional
10- Spill the beans
- Let the cat out of the bag
- Bite off more than you can chew
- Go back to the drawing board
- Barking up the wrong tree
- Actions speak louder than words
- A penny for your thoughts
- Break a leg
- Hit the sack
- Beat around the bush
Academic & Formal Discourse
10- Bear fruit
- Pave the way
- Shed light on
- Go hand in hand
- Tip the scales
- Fly in the face of
- Bring to the table
- Turn a blind eye
- Draw a blank
- State of the art
Emotions & Reactions
10- Over the moon
- Down in the dumps
- On edge
- Blow off steam
- Keep your cool
- Drive someone up the wall
- On cloud nine
- A weight off my shoulders
- At your wits' end
- Thrilled to bits
Effort, Success, & Failure
10- Start from scratch
- Pass with flying colors
- Fall flat
- Go down the drain
- Keep your head above water
- Pay off
- Throw in the towel
- Make headway
- Uphill battle
- Back to square one
Time, Speed, & Urgency
10- Beat the clock
- At the eleventh hour
- Around the clock
- In the nick of time
- Drag your feet
- Time flies
- Make up for lost time
- Call time on
- Ahead of the curve
- On the spur of the moment
Resources, Money, & Value
10- Make ends meet
- Foot the bill
- Break the bank
- Tighten your belt
- Bang for your buck
- A drop in the ocean
- Make a killing
- On a shoestring budget
- Worth your weight in gold
- Pay top dollar
Throw in the towel
Learn the meaning, origin, and usage of the idiom "Throw in the towel" with five example sentences across different contexts. This idiom is part of ourEffort, Success, & Failure collection for PTE and IELTS preparation.
Throw in the towel
To admit defeat, give up, or surrender when facing a difficult situation or failure.
History & Origin
This idiom comes from the sport of boxing, dating back to the early 20th century. When a boxer was taking too much punishment and their trainer wanted to stop the fight to prevent further injury, the trainer would literally throw a towel or sponge into the center of the ring to signal surrender to the referee. Over time, the phrase expanded beyond sports to describe giving up on any difficult endeavor.
Examples
After trying to fix the software bug for twelve hours straight, the development team decided to throw in the towel for the night and restart fresh tomorrow.
I tried learning how to unicycle for a few weeks, but after falling off for the hundredth time, I finally threw in the towel.
Many small businesses were forced to throw in the towel during the economic recession due to an unsustainable lack of cash flow.
Following weeks of sliding poll numbers and a lack of campaign funding, the candidate officially threw in the towel and suspended her presidential bid.
While our competitors might throw in the towel when market conditions get tough, our organization views these challenges as opportunities for innovation.
Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses the idiom correctly?
A. The exam was incredibly easy, so I decided to throw in the towel and finished it twenty minutes early.
B. Even though our team was losing by thirty points, we refused to throw in the towel and kept fighting until the final whistle.
C. To celebrate their wedding anniversary, Mark threw in the towel by booking a luxury five-star resort in Bali.
D. She is so dedicated to her medical research that she throws in the towel every single day, working late into the night.