Throw in the towel? What does it mean? It it an idiom?

[Edda]

English Idioms and Expressions, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #24 "Idioms with phrasal verbs", question 3

He tried and tried and tried but in the end he decided the time had come to throw in the towel.

(a) stop running
(b) stop looking
(c) stop laughing
(d) stop trying

English Idioms and Expressions, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #24 "Idioms with phrasal verbs", answer 3

He tried and tried and tried but in the end he decided the time had come to stop trying.

Correct answer: (d) stop trying
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Throw in the towel? What does it mean? It it an idiom?

Edda

[Alan]

Yes, this is another idiom and comes from the sport of boxing where 'throwing in the towel' shows that the boxer doesn't want to fight any more and so that is the end of the boxing match. In this sentence it suggests 'give up'.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Saying It Twice