Gauntlet (gloves)
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Pair of gauntlets, Germany, end of the 16th century |
Gauntlet is a name for several different styles of
glove. In general, a gauntlet covers the
wrist, the
hand,
fingers and
forearms. Gauntlets exist in many forms ranging from flexible
fabric and
leather gloves, to
chainmail and fully-articulated metal plates.
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.
Kurokote is a term for a
Japanese gauntlet which is bound by
iron plates.
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.
Fashion
The word
gauntlet is also used by some manufacturers in the
clothing industry to describe a special type of fingerless glove with one large opening rather than individual openings for each finger.
Religious
In the
Roman Catholic Church the gloves worn by the
pope or other
bishops are also known as gauntlets.
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The papal gauntlets on the left side. |
The concept of "
running the gauntlet" is often use as a metaphor for some sort of arduous trial
hazing. Contrary to what some might expect, the phrase is
not a reference to wearing a gauntlet; according to Brewer's Phrase and Fable, [
1] "gauntlet" in this sense is a:
"corruption of gantlope, the passage between two files of soldiers. (German, ganglaufen or gassenlaufen.) The reference is to a punishment common among sailors. If a companion had disgraced himself, the crew, provided with gauntlets or ropes' ends, were drawn up in two rows facing each other, and the delinquent had to run between them, while every man dealt him, in passing, as severe a chastisement as he could."
