throw down the gauntlet
throw down the gauntlet · throws down the gauntlet · threw down the gauntlet · thrown down the gauntlet · throwing down the gauntlet
den Fehdehandschuh hinwerfen
To issue a challengeTo issue a challenge.
» Tom was so angry that he was about to throw down the gauntlet.
letsgolanguages · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
1 senses(idiomatic)To issue a challenge.
den Fehdehandschuh hinwerfen
Examples
2 sentencesTom was so angry that he was about to throw down the gauntlet.
Tom threw down the gauntlet. He was ready to fight.
Translations
4 languagesDeutsch
By meaning 1
issue a challenge:
Origin
From the late medieval custom symbolizing a challenge, in French jeter le gant which nowadFrom the late medieval custom symbolizing a challenge, in French jeter le gant which nowadays usually means to give up after having tried hard (leaving the challenge to any takers). The English phrase dates to the 1540s (figurative use by the 18th century).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
throws down the gauntlet, throwing down the gauntlet, threw down the gauntlet, thrown down the gauntlet| Base form | throw down the gauntlet · to throw down the gauntlet |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | throws down the gauntlet |
| Present participle | throwing down the gauntlet |
| Past simple | threw down the gauntlet |
| Past participle | thrown down the gauntlet |
irregular · Lesson
Present simpleLesson
| I, you, we, they | throw down the gauntlet |
| he, she, it | throws down the gauntlet |
Past simpleLesson
| all persons | threw down the gauntlet |
Present perfectLesson
| I, you, we, they | have thrown down the gauntlet |
| he, she, it | has thrown down the gauntlet |
Future simple (will)Lesson
| all persons | will throw down the gauntlet |
Word family
1 related wordsDerivedthrow down
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle