The phrase throw in the towel meaning “give up,” stems from boxing competitions in the late 19th. If a boxer’s team wanted to stop the fight—usually because their fighter was taking too much punishment—they would literally throw a towel into the air...
The phrase throw in the towel, meaning to give up, originated in the world of boxing. An earlier phrase from the same sport that carried the same metaphorical meaning is chuck in the sponge. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Boxing...
mudjacking n.— «The repairs to Sprigg Street have included removing fill material put in place to raise the roadbed following the Great Flood of 1993, material that had deteriorated badly, Gramling said. “It was just kind of a mud instead of soil,”...
mermaid tear n.— Note: Nurdles are defined here. «More alarmingly, research has shown that small plastic pieces, also termed nurdles or “mermaid tears”, act like sponges, absorbing pollutants and other harmful substances. When consumed by living...
elephant’s tampon n.— «I used to be a boogie boarder. While I have long since evolved beyond the lay-down sponge riding, the fact remains that not only did my love affair with surfing begin years ago in the prone position but also, when the...
sponge gun n.— «The officers used something that is commonly called a sponge gun it’s a less than lethal weapon that we have. The weapon was deployed in an effort to avoid having to shoot this man.» —“Santa Maria Man Threatens People With Large...
