IdiomNature
Swedish
SwedishAtt kasta yxan i sjön
Meaning: To give up completely.
Literally: To throw the axe in the lake
Example: “Efter tre misslyckade försök kastade han yxan i sjön.” — After three failed attempts, he threw in the towel.
English equivalent: To throw in the towel
Origin: Swedish Wiktionary offers two explanations. One is the Bible story in 2 Kings 6, in which the prophet Elisha makes a lost axe head float back up from the water. The other, more likely, is the old saying shared with German der Axt den Stiel nachwerfen and English "to throw the helve after the hatchet": a woodcutter who has lost his axe in the water throws the handle after it, giving up completely.
Equivalents in other languages
English: throw in the towel
Portuguese: Chutar o balde Literally: To kick the bucket
Czech: Házet flintu do žita Literally: To throw the rifle into the rye
Icelandic: Að leggja árar í bát Literally: To lay the oars in the boat
French: Baisser pavillon Literally: To lower the pavilion- French: Jeter l'éponge Literally: To throw the sponge
- French: Mettre pavillon bas Literally: To lower the flag
More Swedish idioms
- Att ha en räv bakom örat To be cunning and sly.
- Att smita från notan To dodge paying or shirk responsibility.
- Att sätta sig på tvären To be obstinate and refuse to cooperate.
- ge järnet Exert maximum effort; give one's all.
- ta sig vatten över huvudet Get in over one's head; take on more than one can manage.
- under kniven Undergoing surgery.
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