Tirar is one of those verbs that has a lot of different meanings depending on the context. In my experience, the most common meaning of ‘tirar’ when not in an expression  is ‘to throw’. It can mean something completely different in an expression.

tirar arroz | to put down, criticize
No me gusta tirar arroz a nadie, pero ese hombre se cree mucho. | I don’t like to put anybody down, but that man has an inflated opinion of himself.
Ella no tiene confianza porque sus padres siempre le tiran arroz. | She doesn’t have confidence because her parents are always putting her down.

tirar la esponja | to throw in the towel
Tiramos la esponja después de muchos años de sacrificio sin lograr ningún resultado. | We threw in the towel after many years of sacrifice without achieving any results.
Enseño a mis hijos a nunca tirar la esponja. | I teach my kids to never throw in the towel.

tirar la piedra y esconder la mano | to hurt someone but cover it up, be a hypocrite
Es una persona de las que tira la piedra y esconde la mano. | She’s a hypocrite.
Ella suele tirar la piedra y esconder la mano. | She’s usually a hypocrite.

tirar pinta | to dress to impress
Esta noche vamos a tirar pinta. | Tonight we are going to get all dressed up.
Es bueno tirar pinta para una entrevista. | It’s good to dress to impress for an interview.

tirarse el pegote | to lie, brag,  toot one’s own horn
Siempre se tira el pegote. | He’s always tooting his own horn.
Michael Jordan es un buen ejemplo de alguien que se tira el pegote. | Michael Jordan is a good example of someone who toots his own horn.

Daily Challenge: Use one of these Spanish expressions and post your experience on Facebook.