What does throw in the towel mean?
Idiom Meaning:
give up or quit
Examples of this Idiom in Movies & TV Shows:
The Good Heart (2010)
Time of Scene:
Psychiatrist: Why did you try suicide?
Lucas: Well, you know, when it comes to survival of the fittest, I just have to throw in the towel, I guess.
Psychiatrist: But you’re not an animal, Lucas. You’re a human being. You live in highly developed society that has all kinds of buffers and security nets that are designed to break your fall.
Lucas: No, I don’t follow the rules of civilization anymore. I’m outside. I’m an animal.
The Long, Hot Summer (1958)
Time of Scene:
Clara: Well don’t throw in the towel yet, Agnes, dear. Those tranquilizers may see us through yet.
Victor Victoria (1982)
Time of Scene:
Victoria: This is all they have.
Toddy: This? The last time I saw a specimen like this, they had to shoot the horse!
Waiter: How lucky can you get? In one evening a Rockefeller and a Groucho Marx.
Toddy: Oh, they didn’t shoot a real horse. Just a costume with two waiters in it.
Waiter: I shall think of a sharp retort while I am getting your roast chicken.
Toddy: It’s a wise man who knows when to throw in the towel.
Waiter: And it is a moron who gives advice to a horse’s arse.
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