Confused by modern idioms? - 6 Minute English

In this programme, Rob and Sam talk about some modern idioms – new expressions that have been introduced to English through the internet, TV and social media.

This week's question
Many well-known idioms come from the world of sport, for example ‘throw in the towel’ which means ‘give up’, or ‘surrender’. But which sport does the idiom ‘throw in the towel’ come from?
a) football
b) tennis
c) boxing
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Vocabulary
spend a penny
(old-fashioned idiom) go to the toilet

thrown in the towel
(idiom) give in; surrender; stop doing something because you realise you cannot succeed

Groundhog Day
(idiom) a situation in which events that have happened before, happen again in exactly the same way

ubiquitous
seeming to appear everywhere

break the internet
(idiom) cause so much excitement about something online that many people visit the website, making it crash

first-world problem
(idiom) a problem that does not seem very important when compared to the serious problems faced by people in poorer parts of the world

[Cover: Getty Images]
You can download audio and text here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2022/ep-220728

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