American Idioms and Expressions

Throw In The Towel/sponge Idiom

This database is a comprehensive collection of all the American idioms and slang available. American Idioms are many and varied. We hope you enjoy our collection. We are adding more all the time. .

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throw in the towel/sponge
What does throw in the towel/sponge mean?
admit defeat, stop fighting (in a boxing match a towel is thrown into the ring to admit defeat) admit defeat, stop fighting (in a boxing match a towel is thrown into the ring to admit defeat)The candidate threw in the towel early in the evening of the election when it became impossible for her to win.

Some Random Idioms
Tug at the heartstrings
What does "Tug at the heartstrings" mean?
f something tugs at the heartstrings, it makes you feel sad or sympathetic towards it.
somebody up there loves/hates me
What does "somebody up there loves/hates me" mean?
an unseen power in heaven has been favorable/unfavorable to you"Somebody up there loves me," he said when he found the money on the side of the road.
bad-mouth (someone or something)
What does "bad-mouth (someone or something)" mean?
to say bad things about someone or something The supervisor has the habit of bad-mouthing her boss.

Cool it!
What does "Cool it!" mean?
calm down."There's no need to be so upset. Just cool it!"
meet one's match
What does "meet one's match" mean?
encounter one's equal encounter one's equalThe boxer finally met his match when he was offered the fight with the other wrestler.
edge (someone) out
What does "edge (someone) out" mean?
to win a competition against someone and get a job or positionI was able to edge out the other applicants to get the job.
catshot
What does "catshot" mean?
aircraft takeoff from a carrier using a catapult
in and out
What does "in and out" mean?
coming in and going out oftenHe has been in and out all day but I don`t know where he is at the moment.
pull (something) together
What does "pull (something) together" mean?
to organize something, to arrange somethingWe were able to pull everything together and the convention was a great success.
Every man and his dog
What does "Every man and his dog" mean?
A lot of people - as in sending out invitations to a large number of people
tide (someone) over
What does "tide (someone) over" mean?
to help someone through a difficult situation, to last until someone can get more of somethingI gave my friend some money to tide him over until he gets paid.
ballpark estimate/figure
What does "ballpark estimate/figure" mean?
a guess that is in a certain area or range We had a ballpark estimate about how much it would cost to buy the business.

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