throw up the sponge
To give up a contest; to acknowledge defeat; to throw in the towelTo give up a contest; to acknowledge defeat; to throw in the towel.
» Tom threw a wet sponge at me in school today.
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
1 senses(archaic, idiomatic, slang)To give up a contest; to acknowledge defeat; to throw in the towel.
Examples
3 sentencesTom threw a wet sponge at me in school today.
Tom threw a soaking wet sponge at me at school today.
deTom hat heute in der Schule mit einem triefnassen Schwamm nach mir geworfen. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
The boxing match was completely one-sided, one pug was so badly mauled that his manager had to throw in the sponge.
Origin
From a custom of the boxing ring, the person employed to sponge a pugilist between roundsFrom a custom of the boxing ring, the person employed to sponge a pugilist between rounds throwing his sponge in the air in token of defeat.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
throws up the sponge, throwing up the sponge, threw up the sponge, thrown up the sponge| Base form | throw up the sponge · to throw up the sponge |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | throws up the sponge |
| Present participle | throwing up the sponge |
| Past simple | threw up the sponge |
| Past participle | thrown up the sponge |
irregular · Lesson
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle