throw down the gauntlet
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Declare or issue a challenge, as in The senator threw down the gauntlet on the abortion issue. This expression alludes to the medieval practice of a knight throwing down his gauntlet, or metal glove, as a challenge to combat. Its figurative use dates from the second half of the 1700s, as does the less frequently heard take up the gauntlet, for accepting a challenge.
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Words nearby throw down the gauntlet
throwaway, throwback, throw caution to the winds, throw cold water on, throw down, throw down the gauntlet, throw dust in someone's eyes, throwed, thrower, throw for a loop, throw good money after bad
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.