tirar la toalla

Spanish

Etymology

From the traditional signal from a boxer's support staff of throwing such an item into a boxing ring to indicate that the contestant cannot continue the match and is forfeiting to the opponent.

Verb

tirar la toalla (first-person singular present tiro la toalla, first-person singular preterite tiré la toalla, past participle tirado la toalla)

1. (idiomatic) to throw in the towel; to give up; to quit

Conjugation

• see tirar

Further reading

• “arrojar, o tirar, la toalla”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), 23rd edition, Royal Spanish Academy, 2014 October 16