Gauntlet (gloves)

Gauntlet is a name for several different styles of glove, particularly those with an extended cuff covering part of the forearm. Gauntlets exist in many forms, ranging from flexible fabric and leather gloves, to chainmail and fully-articulated plate armour.

Types of gauntlet

Military

Historically, gauntlets were an important piece of armour, since the hands and arms were particularly vulnerable in hand-to-hand combat. With the rise of easily-reloadable firearms, hand-to-hand combat became less common and so gauntlets lost most of their strategic value.

Sport, industry and science

Today, gauntlets are mostly used in contact sports, such as fencing. Protective gauntlets are also sometimes worn when defusing a bomb and by butchers. Furthermore, they are an integral part of pressure suits and spacesuits, usually made of kevlar or other materials that combine toughness, environmental protection and flexibility. Gauntlets are also provided on some motorcyclist's leather gloves and on snowmobile driver's nylon mittens.

Drum Corps & Marching Band

Marching band and drum corp uniforms often include an item called a "gauntlet" which includes no glove for the hand, but is just a flared cuff. Some versions are closer to bracers or vambraces in style.

Fashion

In the clothing industry gauntlet can refer to a fashion accessory which is just an extended cuff with little or no hand covering.[1]

Religious

Pope John XXIII wearing the Episcopal gloves (gauntlets) in 1958.

For the main article see Episcopal gloves.
In the Roman Catholic Church the gloves traditionally worn by the Pope or other bishops are also known as gauntlets[[2]], or Episcopal gloves, though their use had largely been relaxed since Paul VI.

Idioms

"Throw down the gauntlet"

To "throw down the gauntlet" is to issue a challenge. A gauntlet-wearing knight would challenge a fellow knight or enemy to a duel by throwing one of his gauntlets on the ground. The opponent would pick up the gauntlet to accept the challenge.

"Run the gauntlet"

"Running the gauntlet" was a military punishment where a soldier or sailor had to pass between a double row of comrades armed with cudgels. The expression is now generally used metaphorically. Gauntlet in this context is unrelated to the "protective glove" meaning, but is instead derived from the Swedish gatlopp ("street run")[3].

Notes and references

de:Kampfhandschuh

es:Guantelete fr:Gantelet it:Guanto d'arme ja:籠手 simple:Gauntlet sr:Оклопне рукавице