gauntlet (redirected from throw down the gauntlet)

gaunt·let ¹ also gant·let  (gôntlt, gänt-)

n.

1. A protective glove worn with medieval armor.

2. A protective glove with a flared cuff, used in manual labor, in certain sports, and for driving.

3. A challenge: throw down the gauntlet; take up the gauntlet.

4. A dress glove cuffed above the wrist.

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[Middle English, from Old French gantelet, diminutive of gant, glove, from Frankish *want.]

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gaunt·let ² also gant·let  (gôntlt, gänt-)

n.

1.

a. A form of punishment or torture in which people armed with sticks or other weapons arrange themselves in two lines facing each other and beat the person forced to run between them.

b. The lines of people so arranged.

2. An onslaught or attack from all sides: "The hostages . . . ran the gauntlet of insult on their way to the airport" (Harper's).

3. A severe trial; an ordeal.

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[Alteration (influenced by gauntlet) of gantlope, from Swedish gatlopp : gata, lane (from Old Norse; see gh- in Indo-European roots) + lopp, course, running (from Middle Low German lp).]

Word History: The spelling gauntlet is acceptable for both gauntlet meaning "glove" or "challenge" and gauntlet meaning "a form of punishment in which lines of men beat a person forced to run between them"; but this has not always been the case. The story of the gauntlet used in to throw down the gauntlet is linguistically unexciting: it comes from the Old French word gantelet, a diminutive of gant, "glove." From the time of its appearance in Middle English (in a work composed in 1449), the word has been spelled with an au as well as an a, still a possible spelling. But the gauntlet used in to run the gauntlet is an alteration of the earlier English form gantlope, which came from the Swedish word gatlopp, a compound of gata, "lane," and lopp, "course." The earliest recorded form of the English word, found in 1646, is gantelope, showing that alteration of the Swedish word had already occurred. The English word was then influenced by the spelling of the word gauntlet, "glove," and in 1676 we find the first recorded instance of the spelling gauntlet for this word, although gantelope is found as late as 1836. From then on spellings with au and a are both found, but the au seems to have won out.

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gauntlet¹, gantlet

n

1. (Military / Arms & Armour (excluding Firearms)) a medieval armoured leather glove

2. (Clothing & Fashion) a heavy glove with a long cuff

take up (or throw down) the gauntlet to accept (or offer) a challenge

[from Old French gantelet, diminutive of gant glove, of Germanic origin]

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gauntlet²

n

1. (Historical Terms) a punishment in which the victim is forced to run between two rows of men who strike at him as he passes: formerly a military punishment

run the gauntlet

a.  (Historical Terms) to suffer this punishment

b.  to endure an onslaught or ordeal, as of criticism

3. a testing ordeal; trial

4. (Transport / Railways) a variant spelling of gantlet¹ [1]

[changed (through influence of gauntlet¹) from earlier gantlope; see gantlet¹]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	gauntlet - to offer or accept a challenge; "threw down the gauntlet"; "took up the gauntlet" gantlet challenge - a call to engage in a contest or fight
	2.	gauntlet - a glove of armored leather; protects the hand metal glove, gantlet body armor, body armour, cataphract, coat of mail, suit of armor, suit of armour - armor that protects the wearer's whole body glove - handwear: covers the hand and wrist
	3.	gauntlet - a glove with long sleeve gantlet glove - handwear: covers the hand and wrist
	4.	gauntlet - a form of punishment in which a person is forced to run between two lines of men facing each other and armed with clubs or whips to beat the victim gantlet corporal punishment - the infliction of physical injury on someone convicted of committing a crime

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gauntlet

noun

throw down the gauntlet issue a challenge, challenge They have thrown down the gauntlet to their competitors.

Translations

gauntlet [ˈgɔːntlɪt] N [of knight] → guantelete m, manopla f; [of motorcyclist etc] → guante m
to run the gauntlet (Mil, Hist) → correr baquetas
he had to run a gauntlet of abuse as he arrived for the meeting → tuvo que aguantar una sarta de improperios a su llegada a la reunión
to throw down/take up the gauntlet → arrojar/recoger el guante

gauntlet [ˈgɔːntlɪt] n

[motorcyclist] → gant mpl (à crispin)
to throw down the gauntlet (= make a challenge) → jeter le gant
to pick up the gauntlet (= accept challenge) → relever le gant

to run the gauntlet of → braver
She was forced to run the gauntlet of 300 jeering demonstrators → Elle avait dû braver les huées de 300 manifestants.

gauntlet¹

n

(of armour) → Panzerhandschuh m; to throw down/pick up or take up the gauntlet (fig) → den Fehdehandschuh hinwerfen/aufnehmen

(= glove) → (Stulpen)handschuh m; (= part of glove) → Stulpe f

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gauntlet²

n to run the gauntlet (fig) → Spießruten laufen; to (have to) run the gauntlet of something → einer Sache (dat) → ausgesetzt sein

gauntlet [ˈgɔːntlɪt] n (of knight) → guanto d'armatura, manopola; (of motorcyclist) → guanto
to run the gauntlet of an angry crowd (fig) → sottoporsi al fuoco di fila di una folla ostile
to throw down the gauntlet → gettare il guanto

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gauntlet [ˈgɔːntlɪt] n (of knight) → guanto d'armatura, manopola; (of motorcyclist) → guanto
to run the gauntlet of an angry crowd (fig) → sottoporsi al fuoco di fila di una folla ostile
to throw down the gauntlet → gettare il guanto