To run the gauntlet
Meaning
To face a series of intense criticisms, challenges, or attacks from all sides.
Origin
In 17th-century Europe, particularly within military and naval ranks, a grim form of corporal punishment known as the "gatlopp" (Swedish for "lane-run") awaited offenders. Deserters, thieves, or those guilty of other serious infractions were stripped to the waist and forced to run, often repeatedly, between two parallel lines of their comrades. Each soldier in these lines was armed with a stick, a switch, or even a rope's end, and was expected to strike the condemned as they hurried past. This brutal and public spectacle, designed to inflict maximum pain and humiliation, gave birth to the English phrase "to run the gauntlet," vividly capturing the experience of enduring severe, multi-directional attack, whether physical or metaphorical.
Examples
- After the disastrous product launch, the CEO knew he would have to run the gauntlet of angry shareholders.
- The young journalist had to run the gauntlet of skeptical editors to get her controversial story approved for publication.