“Throw in the towel”in other languages

Same idea, different pictures

English and French come from boxing, where a trainer throws something into the ring to stop the fight. French throws the sponge, jeter l'éponge, which was the original English version too. French also lowers its flag, baisser pavillon, as a ship does to surrender.

Others drop the tool for the job: Icelandic lays its oars in the boat, að leggja árar í bát, Swedish throws its axe in the lake, kasta yxan i sjön, and Czech throws its rifle into the rye, házet flintu do žita. Brazilian Portuguese kicks the bucket, chutar o balde, which means giving up, not dying.