So what I wrote above would be correct - forces are transferred to the wing by pressure forces, caused by turning the air. These pressure forces are as a result of conserving momentum, energy and mass. The body feeling the reaction of the force imparted to the flow.
I'm quite happy with that, with two exceptions.
How does one explain lift without downwash (spinning cylinder and reflex trailing edge) and lift without power for infinite spans?
I don't think "lift is produced by throwing air at the ground" is quite as accurate as that. Surely "lift is produced by turning air and feeling the reaction" would be better - albeit with the ground (or other solid objects) eventually taking the momentum away from the air.