throw up the sponge
To give up a contest; to acknowledge defeat; to throw in the towel.
But he was too brave a man to throw up the sponge to fate, and had work to do yet.
sponge
/spʌnd͡ʒ/
noun 5verb 5
Collocations
5(noun.)
ADJ
damp/dampened, wet | bath
VERB + SPONGE
squeeze (out)
SPONGE + VERB
fill with sth, soak sth up
The kitchen sponge filled with grease after I washed the dishes.
PREP
with a/the ~
I cleaned the bathroom tiles with a sponge this morning.
Definitions
noun
1
Any of various marine invertebrates of the phylum Porifera, that have a porous skeleton often of silica.
2
A piece of porous material used for washing (originally made from the invertebrates, now often made of plastic).
She removed Stranleigh’s coat with a dexterity that aroused his imagination. The elder woman returned with dressings and a sponge, which she placed on a chair.
3
The porous material that synthetic washing sponges are made of.
4
A heavy drinker.
5
A type of light cake.
verb
1
To take advantage of the kindness of others.
The fly is an intruder, and a common smell-feast, that spunges upon other Peoples Trenchers.
You can’t go on spunging upon the women.
2
To get by imposition; to scrounge.
“[…] They talk of you as if you were Croesus—and I expect the beggars sponge on you unconscionably.” And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes.
July 17 1735, Jonathan Swift, letter to Lord Ornery I am an utter stranger to the persons and places, except when half a score come to sponge on me every Sunday evening
3
To deprive (somebody) of something by imposition.
How came such multitudes of our nation […] to be sponged of their plate and their money?
4
To clean, soak up, or dab with a sponge.
Before stepping into the bath the head should be wet with cold water, and in the bath the pit of the stomach should first be sponged.
5
To suck in, or imbibe, like a sponge.
Thesaurus
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
601
She removed Stranleigh’s coat with a dexterity that aroused his imagination. The elder woman returned with dressings and a sponge, which she placed on a chair.
Wiktionary02
For this reason, we need to think of our children as sponges of information and watch their sources carefully. We also need to always model appropriate behaviour, as we are a constant source of new in
Wiktionary03
The great guns ranged along the deck — each bound fast by its new breechings — with their linstocks and sponges and ladles and rammers, made no idle show of warlike strength.
Wiktionary04
The fly is an intruder, and a common smell-feast, that spunges upon other Peoples Trenchers.
Wiktionary05
You can’t go on spunging upon the women.
Wiktionary06
He has been sponging off his friends for a month now.
WiktionaryUsage Notes
i Register
In some senses, sponge is marked as informal, slang. Watch for register when choosing this word.
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