Throw Down the Gauntlet.
English
idiom
To challenge someone openly and dare them to respond.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To challenge someone openly and dare them to respond.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To issue a bold or direct challenge.
When you throw down the gauntlet, you openly dare someone to compete with you or respond to what you've done.
The phrase comes from the medieval practice of throwing a metal glove on the ground to challenge someone to a duel.
"Call Someone Out"
—
Publicly accuse someone of doing wrong
"Pick a Fight"
—
To start an aggressive argument or conflict, not to issue a formal challenge
"Throw Down the Gauntlet"
—
To issue a bold, direct challenge to someone
Our main competitor just cut their prices by 20% — they've thrown down the gauntlet.
Then let's respond with a value offer they genuinely can't match.
He told everyone at the gym that he's better at chess than you.
Then he's thrown down the gauntlet — set up a game and I'll show him.
The sales team just set a record quarter.
They've thrown down the gauntlet for the rest of us — time to step it up.
