IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchJeter l'éponge
Meaning: To give up and concede.
Literally: To throw the sponge
Example: “Après trois échecs au permis, il a jeté l'éponge.” — After failing his driving test three times, he threw in the towel.
English equivalent: To throw in the towel
Other ways to say this
English: throw in the towel
Portuguese: Chutar o balde Literally: To kick the bucket
Swedish: Att kasta yxan i sjön Literally: To throw the axe in the lake
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: Mettre pavillon bas Literally: To lower the flag
Origin: From boxing, where a second signaled his man's surrender by throwing in the sponge used between rounds. English switched to the towel; French kept the sponge.
More French idioms
- Ne connaître ni d'Ève ni d'Adam Not to know someone at all.
- Fauché comme les blés Completely broke.
- S'inscrire en faux To formally deny something and challenge its truth.
- Cherchez la femme There is a woman behind this somewhere.
- Jeter l'argent par les fenêtres To spend recklessly and pointlessly.
- Croire dur comme fer To believe something with complete and unshakeable conviction.
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- Quel râleur / quelle râleuse You never stop moaning — everything is a complaint, nothing is ever good enough.
- Peau de vache A mean, difficult, and unpleasant person — tough and unyielding like tanned hide.
- Tu as une cervelle de moineau You're scatterbrained and forgetful.
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