"throw up the sponge" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "From a custom of the boxing ring, the person employed to sponge a pugilist between rounds throwing his sponge in the air in token of defeat.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "throws up the sponge",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "throwing up the sponge",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "threw up the sponge",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "thrown up the sponge",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "throw<,,threw,thrown> up the sponge"
      },
      "expansion": "throw up the sponge (third-person singular simple present throws up the sponge, present participle throwing up the sponge, simple past threw up the sponge, past participle thrown up the sponge)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English light verb constructions",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To give up a contest; to acknowledge defeat; to throw in the towel."
      ],
      "id": "en-throw_up_the_sponge-en-verb-lMCyiu5K",
      "links": [
        [
          "give up",
          "give up"
        ],
        [
          "contest",
          "contest#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "acknowledge",
          "acknowledge"
        ],
        [
          "defeat",
          "defeat#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "throw in the towel",
          "throw in the towel"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, idiomatic, slang, archaic) To give up a contest; to acknowledge defeat; to throw in the towel."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "idiomatic",
        "intransitive",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-throw up the sponge.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/84/En-au-throw_up_the_sponge.ogg/En-au-throw_up_the_sponge.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/En-au-throw_up_the_sponge.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "throw up the sponge"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "From a custom of the boxing ring, the person employed to sponge a pugilist between rounds throwing his sponge in the air in token of defeat.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "throws up the sponge",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "throwing up the sponge",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "threw up the sponge",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "thrown up the sponge",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "throw<,,threw,thrown> up the sponge"
      },
      "expansion": "throw up the sponge (third-person singular simple present throws up the sponge, present participle throwing up the sponge, simple past threw up the sponge, past participle thrown up the sponge)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English idioms",
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English lemmas",
        "English light verb constructions",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English slang",
        "English terms with archaic senses",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To give up a contest; to acknowledge defeat; to throw in the towel."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "give up",
          "give up"
        ],
        [
          "contest",
          "contest#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "acknowledge",
          "acknowledge"
        ],
        [
          "defeat",
          "defeat#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "throw in the towel",
          "throw in the towel"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, idiomatic, slang, archaic) To give up a contest; to acknowledge defeat; to throw in the towel."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "idiomatic",
        "intransitive",
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-throw up the sponge.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/84/En-au-throw_up_the_sponge.ogg/En-au-throw_up_the_sponge.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/En-au-throw_up_the_sponge.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "throw up the sponge"
}