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throw in the towel

SEE SYNONYMS FOR throw in the towel

To quit in defeat. The phrase comes from boxing, in which a fighter indicates surrender by throwing a towel into the ring: “After losing the election, he threw in the towel on his political career.”

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To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
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Words nearby throw in the towel

throwing stick, throw in one's hand, throw in one's lot with, throw in someone's face, throw in the sponge, throw in the towel, throw light on, thrown, thrown silk, thrown to the lions, throw off
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Words related to throw in the towel

cancel, back down, surrender, renege, give up, acquiesce, quit, abdicate, bow out, retire, terminate, leave, abandon, drop out, defer, agree, acknowledge, perish, go down, wilt