Revised as of
20 Nov 2022
Oooh, one of those nitpicky confusions! It seems that gantlet is technically its very own word that has been confused for centuries.
Originally, gantlet meant to run between two rows and endure an ordeal, punishment, onslaught, what-have-you; it then morphed into railroad tracks that converge. Then gauntlet jumped into the fray somewhere around 1676 (Freeman). So now, either gantlet or gauntlet works for “running to suffer punishment, etc.”
Gauntlet began as a glove, one which would be thrown down in challenge to someone. To pick up the gauntlet, the glove, was to accept the challenge.
Therefore ONLY gauntlet is correct when throwing down the gauntlet, as it is a glove-related statement. And gantlet has nothing to do with gloves (Freeman).
There’s a Lotta Confusion Due to the Dictionaries
Many dictionaries include the glove definition with gantlet, and yet, as Freeman noted in “Braving the Gauntlet“, gantlet and gauntlet “come from different roots. The distinction should be preserved”.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Gantlet | Gauntlet |
|---|---|
Interlaced Track with Frog by Sladen at English Wikipedia is under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — A frog gantlet. |
Left-Hand Duelling Gauntlet courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is under the CC0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun; Verb, transitive
Plural for the noun: gantlets Third person present verb: gantlets Alternative spelling: gauntlet (when referring to running a gauntlet) |
Noun
Plural: gauntlets Alternative spelling: gantlet (when referring to running a gantlet) |
| What one might run
Noun: [Railroads] A track construction used in narrow places, in which two parallel tracks converge so that their inner rails cross, run parallel, and diverge again, thus allowing a train to remain on its own track at all times
Trying conditions
To undergo criticism or harassment from several sources in a concentrated period of time [US variation] To suffer punishment by gantlet or to endure an onslaught or ordeal Verb, transitive:
|
A glove as well as an ordeal
Noun: A heavy glove with an extended cuff for the wrist [throw down the gauntlet] To offer a challenge [take up the gauntlet] To accept a challenge to fight
[Historical] A medieval armored leather glove worn by a knight in armor to protect the hand [US Military; Clothing & Fashion] Any of various protective gloves, usually with an extended or flared cuff, as used in certain sports such as fencing and motorcycle riding, in cooking to handle hot objects, and other activities What one might run Go through an intimidating or dangerous crowd, place, or experience in order to reach a goal [Historical] Undergo the military punishment of receiving blows while running between two rows of men with sticks [US variation] To suffer punishment by gauntlet or to endure an onslaught or ordeal To undergo criticism or harassment from several sources in a concentrated period of time A testing ordeal
|
| Examples: | |
| Noun: Gantlet tracks can be used to provide horizontal clearance to a fixed obstruction adjacent to a track such as a cutting, bridge, or tunnel. A frog gantlet is typically used for short stretches of track where it is cheaper to provide extra rails than to provide switches and reduce the line to single track. The bridge was fitted with gantlet track, which needs no turnouts, and hence needs no signal box at the far end. School districts must now spend an unconscionable amount of money and time running Sacramento’s gantlet in order to build our schools. How about $10 million on a $50 million high school, to say nothing of the time and effort expended by district personnel trying to carry the paperwork through the gantlet (Hubbell). “Confessions of a Boy Dancer: Running a gantlet of bullying and name-calling” (Gold). Others took up the gantlet and worked and a proud club has even greater reason now to be proud. The game also lets you take up the gantlet of 14 challenges such as trying to win promotion, or avoiding relegation in six weeks, so not to tie you down to a long season if you don’t have time. Verb, transitive: A temporary track was gantleted to facilitate a grade separation project. The system of tracks was gantleted, as recommended by the board in 1801. Gantleting track is typically used for short stretches of track where it is cheaper to provide extra rails than to provide switches and reduce the line to single track. |
To save his honor, Sir Percival had no choice but to pick up the gauntlet.
He was always willing to take up the gauntlet for a good cause. He had cold, dead eyes and wore a long, thick coat and had black gauntlets on his hands. Her leather gauntlets were always a part of her attire, as falcon handling was one of her favorite hobbies. Some knights were cited as wearing mail gloves under their plated gauntlets for added strength. He donned the mail breastplate and leggings, and put on a pair of steel gauntlets and boots. They’re made of goatskin, with extra-long gauntlets for up-to-the-elbow protection. They had to run the gauntlet of television cameras. We should throw down the gauntlet and challenge this absurd perception. He also throws down the gauntlet to those cynics and critics of the council and the way councillors do their business. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: gantleted | Adjective: gauntleted, ungauntleted |
| History of the Word: | |
| Mid-17th century, as an alteration of gantlope from the Swedish gatlopp, which is from gata (lane) + lopp (course). | Late Middle English, from the Old French gantelet, a diminutive of gant meaning glove, is of Germanic origin. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
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Resources for Gantlet versus Gauntlet
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: gantlet, gauntlet
Freeman, Jan. “Braving the Gauntlet”. Throw Grammar From the Train. Web. 8 March 2016. Accessed 29 April 2019. <http://throwgrammarfromthetrain.blogspot.com/2016/03/braving-gauntlet.html>
“Gantlet, Gauntlet.” GrammarBook.com. Web. n.d. Accessed 1 May 2019. <https://www.grammarbook.com/homonyms/gantlet-gauntlet.asp>.
“Gantlet vs. gauntlet.” Grammarist.com. Web. n.d. Accessed 1 May 2019. <https://grammarist.com/usage/gantlet-gauntlet/>.
Gold, Rhee. “Confessions of a Boy Dancer: Running a gantlet of bullying and name-calling.” Dance Magazine. 1 Nov 2011. Article.
“Hubbell Tapes Ring with ‘Sound of Guilt'”. The Free Library. S.v. Public Forum. n.d. Accessed 2 May 2019. <https://www.thefreelibrary.com/PUBLIC+FORUM+%3a+HUBBELL+TAPES+RING+WITH+%60SOUND+OF+GUILT%27.-a083822251>.
Oxford Living Dictionaries: gauntlet
Pinterest Photo Credits:
The cropped and reversed Metro Train 81-717.5M-714.5M 2606 in Tunnel is courtesy of Mos.ru and is under the CC BY 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. Coke and Gauntlet by The Magic Tuba Pixie is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via VisualHunt had the gauntlet cropped out and reversed with half of it made transparent.
