The Origin Of ‘Throw In The Towel’. The common phrase ‘throw in the towel’ is likely comes from boxing. Why? Because coaches, or perhaps a teammate, would literally throw a towel into the boxing ring in order to signal that his fighter is done. Basically, it was basically a way to surrender.

Throw in the towel was originally a prize-fighting or boxing term. When a fighter was unable or unwilling to continue fighting his opponent, then his representative would throw a towel in the middle of the ring to signal their fighter was finished. Fighters sweat and bleed in the course of a fight, and towels were readily available in their corner.

Origin of To throw in the towel When you throw in the towel that mean you give up and lose the match (Image Source: Internet) This idiom derives from the earliest days of boxing, when fighters fought bare-knuckled, without gloves. A sponge was used to mop away sweat or blood from the boxer’s face.