He had to run the gauntlet of many interviews before he got the job.
The hands were defended by Gauntlets, these were sometimes of chain mail, but oftener of small plates of iron rivetted together, in imitation of the lobster's tail, so as to yield every motion of the hand, some gauntlets inclosed the whole hand, as in a box or case, others were divided into fingers, each finger consisting of eight or ten separate pieces, the inside gloved with buff leather, some of these reached no higher than the wrist, others to the elbow; the latter were stiled long armed gauntlets: many of them are to be seen in the Tower; for a representation of one of them, see plate 26, fig 6.
He doesn't read Greek, but he really took up the gauntlet and did his best to understand the letter, anyway.
The competing firm threw down the gauntlet by offering a faster product at a lower price.
He had to run the gauntlet of many interviews before he got the job.