throw up one's hands
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Indicate or express utter hopelessness. For example, Jim was getting nowhere so he threw up his hands and abandoned the argument. This idiom alludes to a traditional gesture for giving up.
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Words nearby throw up one's hands
throw the book at, throw the book at someone, throw together, throw to the wolves, throw up, throw up one's hands, throw up to, throw weight, thru, thrum, thrum-eyed
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.