throwing up one's hands
Gesture of exasperation
Throwing up one's hands is a gesture of surrender, exasperation, or helpless frustration—lifting both hands upward to signal you've given up trying.
The phrase describes both the literal motion and the attitude behind it: After three hours of debugging, she threw up her hands and went home.
Someone who throws up their hands has decided a situation is beyond their control or not worth further effort.
- shruggingShoulder gesture of uncertainty
- sighingAudible breath of emotion
- exasperationIntense weary annoyance
- at wit's endUtterly without solutions
- surrenderCease resistance, yield
waving white flag · defeatism · deadlock · abdication · frustration · acquiescence · walking away · yielding · impasse · helplessness · capitulation · facepalming · failure · eye-rolling · despair · hopelessness · stalemate · gridlock
throwing up one's handspersevering
Maintaining effort despite difficulty
pressing on · soldiering on · sticking with it · doubling down · hanging in there
throwing up one's handskeeping one's cool
Staying composed when provoked
taking it in stride · rolling with the punches · keeping the faith · digging in one's heels · keeping calm
throwing up one's handstaking charge
Assuming leadership or control
taking the reins · taking matters into one's own hands · stepping up · taking the bull by the horns · rising to the occasion
throw, throwing, throws, thrown, thrower, hands, handed, handing, handful