Printer Friendly
The Free Dictionary
1,082,410,212 visitors served.
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

throw in the towel

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.06 sec.
throw in the towel
to admit defeat or failure. The union was forced to throw in the towel and settle their bitter dispute with the company.
Etymology: based on the literal meaning of throwing a towel into the ring in boxing (= signaling that a fighter can no longer continue by throwing a towel into the area where the fight takes place)
See also: throw, towel


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
? References in classic literature
Kelly and others near to the ring began to cry out to the police to stop it, though Danny's corner refused to throw in the towel.
 
Idioms browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Idioms and phrases
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2008 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.. Terms of Use.