throw down the gauntlet to sb
习语，表示公开发出挑战，与“铁手套”的本义不同。
The company threw down the gauntlet to its competitors with a bold new product.
这家公司凭借一款大胆的新产品向竞争对手下了战书。
铁手套；装甲手套
长手套；挑战；夹道鞭打；金属手套(旧时掷地挑战)；夹击
a glove made of armored leather that protects the hand
金属手套(旧时掷地挑战)
Protective armor for the hands, formerly thrown down as a challenge to combat.
夹击
A simultaneous attack from two or more sides.
长手套(遮住手腕)
A long glove covering the wrist.
严酷考验
Any challenging, difficult, or painful ordeal, often one performed for atonement or punishment.
晒衣绳
A rope on which hammocks or clothes are hung for drying.
(游戏)多波次小怪战斗
A fight against swarms of relatively minor enemies in the form of multiple waves, often but not always preceding a boss.
糙皮病手部皮疹
An eruption of pellagra on the hands.
重叠平行轨道
Overlapping parallel rail tracks; either to allowing passage through a narrow opening in each direction without switching, or to allow vehicles of a larger gauge to pass through a station without hitting the platforms.
The museum displays a knight's steel gauntlet in a glass case.
博物馆在玻璃展柜里陈列着一只骑士的钢制铁手套。
用法提示：gauntlet 是名词，指“铁手套/护手”，在句中作 displays 的宾语。
He pulled on his leather gauntlets before handling the heavy chain mail.
在搬动沉重的锁子甲之前，他戴上了自己的皮革护手。
用法提示：gauntlets 是 gauntlet 的复数形式，指“皮革护手”，在句中作 pulled on 的宾语。
The actor's costume included a pair of black gauntlets to match the knight's armor.
这位演员的服装包括一副与骑士铠甲相配的黑色护手。
用法提示：gauntlets 在此处是名词复数，指“护手/铁手套”，在句中作 include 的宾语。
习语，表示公开发出挑战，与“铁手套”的本义不同。
The company threw down the gauntlet to its competitors with a bold new product.
这家公司凭借一款大胆的新产品向竞争对手下了战书。
与 pick up the gauntlet 同义，都表示接受别人的挑战。
She took up the gauntlet and agreed to lead the research team.
她接受挑战，同意带领这个研究团队。
源自旧时让受罚者从两排持棍人中间跑过的刑罚，现多指遭受大量批评或攻击。
The proposal ran the gauntlet of criticism from all sides.
这项提案遭到了来自各方的猛烈批评。
与 gauntlet 相比，challenge 是最常用、最直接的说法；gauntlet 多用于 throw down/take up the gauntlet 这类固定搭配，语气较书面或文学化。特别提示：不可把 gauntlet 直接当普通‘挑战’用在所有语境中。
dare 强调让对方因勇气或面子而去做有风险的事，语气比 challenge 更具体，不一定能替换 gauntlet 的固定搭配。
provocation 侧重故意激怒对方以引发反应，不一定是正式下战书；与 gauntlet 的挑战义只是部分重叠，不能随意互换。
grammar · medium
易错句子He threw the gauntlet to his opponent.
正确表达He threw down the gauntlet to his opponent.
固定搭配 throw down the gauntlet 意为‘下战书/挑战’，down 不可省略；中文‘向对手下战书’的‘下’易导致学习者漏掉 down。
grammar · medium
易错句子The soldiers had to run through the gauntlet as a punishment.
正确表达The soldiers had to run the gauntlet as a punishment.
固定习语 run the gauntlet 意为‘受夹道鞭打/经历磨难’，run 后直接接 the gauntlet，不加 through；这是受中文‘穿过/通过’的介词迁移影响。
gauntlet 专指带长套筒的防护手套（常为皮革或金属制），glove 则是普通手套的通称。要表示中世纪武士或摩托车手所戴的护手时，用 gauntlet；日常保暖用手套则用 glove。
gauntlet 是分指长手套，mitten 是不分指的保暖手套，glove 指分指手套。材质和长度不同，学习者常把任何手套都叫 glove，但 mitten 特指拇指单独、其他手指一起的样式。
gauntlet 是名词，指长手套；gaunt 是形容词，指人或脸因饥饿、疾病而瘦削。两者拼写仅差一个音节，发音相近，但词性和意义完全不同，注意区分词尾 -let。
下战书；发出挑战
The CEO threw down the gauntlet to competitors with a bold new product.
首席执行官以一款大胆的新产品向竞争对手下了战书。
接受挑战；应战
He took up the gauntlet and entered the race.
他接受了挑战，参加了比赛。
受夹道鞭打；遭受猛烈批评
The new policy ran the gauntlet of criticism from all sides.
新政策遭到了来自各方的猛烈批评。
装甲护手；铁手套
The soldier's armored gauntlet deflected the blade.
士兵的装甲护手套挡开了刀刃。
Gauntlet 是一种保护手部的铠甲部件，常与 armor 搭配使用。
中世纪骑士穿戴 gauntlet 作为全套铠甲的一部分。
与 gauntlet 同属中世纪防护装备，保护头部。
Run the gauntlet 指被迫接受严酷考验，ordeal 概括这种痛苦经历。
Running the gauntlet 原是一种体罚形式，与 punishment 同属惩戒语义场。
向……挑战；下战书
The company threw down the gauntlet to its rivals by announcing the new product first.
这家公司率先发布新产品，向竞争对手下了战书。
接受挑战
She took up the gauntlet and agreed to lead the project.
她接受了挑战，同意领导这个项目。
遭受猛烈抨击；受夹道鞭打
The politician had to run the gauntlet of angry reporters after the scandal.
丑闻曝光后，这位政客不得不面对愤怒记者的猛烈抨击。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.