Gauntlet was a leather glove covered with steel plates that medieval knights wore as part of their armor. Early gauntlets were made of chain mail (metal rings linked together). Later gauntlets had hinges for ease of movement. Gauntlets were used until the 1600’s.
When a knight threw down his gauntlet in front of an enemy, it was a challenge to combat. The challenge was accepted by picking up the gauntlet. The expression to throw down the gauntlet still means to declare a challenge. Today, any glove with a long, loose cuff is called a gauntlet.
