
IdiomDaily Life
English
throw down the gauntlet
Meaning: To challenge someone to fight or argue.
Example: “The champion threw down the gauntlet with a public challenge.”
Origin: A gauntlet is an armored glove. In medieval chivalry, a knight threw his gauntlet on the ground to challenge an opponent, who accepted by picking it up. The figurative phrase is found from the 16th century.
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