throw up hands
v. phr.— «A youth worker started the talks by saying, “We all know who’s supposed to speak first.” An H-Block leader, who had been shot a few days earlier, said, “It’s time to throw up hands,” street lingo for an offer of peace. His counterpart from Heath responded simply, “Then it’s done.”» —“2 gangs find real peace, in secret” by Suzanne Smalley Boston Globe (Massachusetts) Nov. 5, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city’s youngest readers, extolling the many benefits of libraries. One of the loveliest was from E.B. White, author of...