gauntlet
part of speech
noun (a gauntlet, gauntlets)
meaning for a pupil
1) A thick glove with a long wide cuff covering the wrist, worn for work, riding or motoring. tree →
2) A metal glove that was part of a knight's armour. tree →
3) In phrases: «throw down the gauntlet» – challenge someone; «take up the gauntlet» – accept a challenge; «run the gauntlet» – face attacks or criticism from many people one after another. tree →
sense in the lessons
In The Wind in the Willows Toad's motoring outfit includes goggles, cap and gauntlets – early drivers wore them against cold and dirt. Knights threw down a gauntlet to challenge an enemy to a fight. «Run the gauntlet» comes from an old punishment of running between two rows of people hitting you. In science and safety: welders and gardeners wear gauntlets to protect their hands.
examples
- Toad pulled on his driving gauntlets and goggles. tree →
- The knight threw down his gauntlet as a challenge. tree →
- Wear gauntlets when you cut thorny roses. tree →
- Our teacher threw down the gauntlet: who could finish the puzzle first? tree →
- The new pupil had to run the gauntlet of questions in the playground. tree →
- The welder wore thick leather gauntlets. tree →
- The sweat ran down his face, but he dried it with his gauntlet. tree →
note
Countable. Plural: gauntlets. Not the same as «gaunt» (very thin).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «gauntlet» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.