The unrest has cast a pall over what is usually a day of national rejoicing 动荡的局势给往常举国欢庆的日子蒙上了阴影。
2.throw in the towel 承认失败，认输
We're never going to persuade them so we might as well throw in the towel now. 我们决不会说服他们，因此我们不妨现在就认输
