jeter

To throw or to throw away. Takes a double t before a mute e (je jette, ils jettent, il jettera) but a single t elsewhere (nous jetons).

• Il jette sa veste sur la chaise. — He throws his jacket on the chair.
• N'oublie pas de jeter les ordures. — Don't forget to take out the rubbish.
• Elle a jeté un coup d'œil dans la pièce. — She glanced into the room.

English speakers often write je jete; the t doubles in je jette. Compare lancer, which suggests throwing with aim or force.

Often confused with lancer.

• expression jeter l'éponge — To give up or abandon the fight. It comes from boxing, where a second throws a sponge or towel into the ring to concede for the fighter, and is sometimes said to be a calque of the English throw in the sponge.
• expression jeter l'argent par les fenêtres — To waste money on pointless spending; dictionary sources date the expression to the late 17th or early 18th century.