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Glite Dictionary
to run the gauntlet

to run the gauntlet

3 8.1
To face many difficult questions or strong criticism
  • idiom
translation icon : pasar por una serie de pruebas
  • During the campaign, the candidate had to run the gauntlet of stringent public scrutiny.

Examples

  • She had left early, not only because it was the first day, but also so as not to have to run the gauntlet of the boys lined up to give the freshmen the usual reception.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Sarah and Jill follow close behind, running the gauntlet of activists and reporters.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Before I could get to Bert's room, I had to run the gauntlet of Mrs. Bitter.

    Academic text (2005)

  • First we had to run the gauntlet of receptionists, nurses, and physicians' assistants, each of whom asked the same questions.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Thermopylae had required freshmen to run the gauntlet between long lines of upperclassmen.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Sometimes, like now, one just has to run the gauntlet and hope that the whips and scorns do not do too much harm on the way.

    Blog text (10)

  • Before starting her new job, she had to run the gauntlet of two tough interviews.

  • The author had to run the gauntlet of negative reviews before her book gained popularity.

Synonyms

to go through hell
vsto run the gauntlet
15 7.0

To have a very hard and painful time in life

is less extreme covering hard or unpleasant events generally
to bear the brunt
vsto run the gauntlet
  • Informal
13 6.7

Take the worst part of something bad

is about repeated unpleasant experiences rather than taking the main hit
to go through the mill
vsto run the gauntlet
  • Informal
7.2

To experience many hard tests or problems

is broader covering unpleasant experiences or criticisms beyond formal tests
to go through the wringer
vsto run the gauntlet
  • Informal
7.6

To experience a very difficult and stressful time

is similar but may emphasize multiple successive hardships
to face vitriol
vsto run the gauntlet
9.5

To get very harsh public criticism

is broader covering hard experiences beyond criticism

Antonyms

to breeze through
  • Informal
5 3.6

To succeed at something quickly and easily

How Severe

to run the gauntlet
3 8.1
attack
548 3.2
to face backlash
  • Literature
1 6.1

Surface Forms

run the gauntlet infinitive
ran the gauntlet past
run the gauntlet past participle
running the gauntlet present participle
runs the gauntlet third person singular

Morphology

run + the + gauntlet

The expression is built directly from the literal image of 'running' a 'gauntlet' (being forced to run between lines while being struck), so a learner who knows that literal meaning can map it to enduring a series of attacks or criticisms. However, the shift from physical striking to metaphorical criticism requires a level of abstraction and idiomatic extension, making the relation only partly predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The idiom run the gauntlet may come from an old military punishment where a person had to run between two rows of soldiers called a gauntlet, and the soldiers would hit them as they passed. So, the strong image of being attacked again and again is why the phrase now means 'to face a series of hard or unpleasant attacks or criticism'.