take up the gauntlet
Agree to fight
To take up the gauntlet is to accept a challenge or confrontation.
The phrase comes from medieval combat, where throwing down an armored glove signaled a challenge and picking it up meant acceptance.
Now used figuratively: When critics dismissed her work, she took up the gauntlet and published three more books.
- dareChallenge to act boldly
- contestOrganized competitive event
- confrontFace squarely, address directly
- faceHead's anterior surface
- face the musicAccept deserved consequences
courage · rise to the occasion · call to arms · challenge · accept · step up · defiance · duel · honor · knight · stand one's ground · meet · glove · battle · joust · rebuttal · respond · chivalry
take up the gauntletback down
Withdraw from a stance
turn tail · chicken out · shy away · balk · flinch
take up the gauntletwalk away
Depart from something
stand aside · bow out · step back · disengage · opt out
take up the gauntletthrow in the towel
Concede defeat voluntarily
surrender · capitulate · yield · submit · give up
mistake, taken, taking, mistaken, overtake, take up, mistakes, intake, undertake