英语词汇throw in the towel的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

throw in the towel. Throw in the towel and throw in the sponge—both meaning to give up, quit, or admit one has been defeated—have been around at least since the 1860s and proba- bly date back to 18th-century England. The expression comes from boxing, where a fighter’s corner man throws a towel into the ring to stop the fight when he determines that his fighter has taken enough punishment and has no chance of winning. Figuratively, the colorful phrase came to mean the admission of defeat by anyone from a politician to a saint. Possibly the color of a white towel, suggesting a white flag of surrender, has helped the first variation endure.

词汇	throw in the towel
词源	throw in the towel. Throw in the towel and throw in the sponge—both meaning to give up, quit, or admit one has been defeated—have been around at least since the 1860s and proba- bly date back to 18th-century England. The expression comes from boxing, where a fighter’s corner man throws a towel into the ring to stop the fight when he determines that his fighter has taken enough punishment and has no chance of winning. Figuratively, the colorful phrase came to mean the admission of defeat by anyone from a politician to a saint. Possibly the color of a white towel, suggesting a white flag of surrender, has helped the first variation endure.
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