toss in the sponge

toss in the sponge

To give up on some endeavor; to quit or abandon something; to admit defeat or failure. I've been working on this book for over a year, and I'm getting nowhere with it. I think I'm ready to toss in the sponge. After trying their hand in the mobile phone market for just a few years, the company is already tossing in the sponge after finding very little success.
See also: sponge, toss
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

toss in the sponge

verb
See throw in the towel
See also: sponge, toss
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • jack it in
  • all in, be
  • be all in
  • jack in
  • all-in
  • all in
  • pull for
  • pull for (someone or something)
  • root for
  • root for (someone or something)
References in periodicals archive
At the same time, they could not openly toss in the sponge on civil rights without facing certain defeat at home.
The U.S. Senate: paralysis or a search for consensus?