Sandra Yeaman

Gantlet Vs Gauntlet

Medieval gauntlet by fullon2012, on Flickr

“Medieval gauntlet” (CC BY-NC 2.0) by  fullon2012 

I recently wrote a piece in which I compared driving in a country as “running a gantlet.” My reviewers all said they thought I had spelled the word wrong. But I was so sure I was right. I had even looked it up in a dictionary (I can’t say “the” because I don’t know which one I used). I knew “gauntlet” referred to armored gloves worn in medieval times.

So imagine my surprise when I tried again today and I found this result on THE dictionary (Merriam Webster):

gantlet.png

And then grammarist.com presented me with this result:

gantlet vs gauntlet

Have I become a language snob by trying to use the historically correct variant? What do you think?

 

Sandra Yeaman

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3 responses to “Gantlet Vs Gauntlet”

  1. Gantlet Vs Gauntlet – Caroline McCullagh

    […] Gantlet Vs Gauntlet […]

    Reply
  2. Skunked Words and Other Oddities – Sandra Yeaman

    […] about other problematic words. A few months ago I pointed out my dilemma about whether to use gantlet or gauntlet when referring to a figurative double line through which someone must pass with difficulty. I chose […]

    Reply
  3. Skunked Words and Other Oddities – Caroline McCullagh

    […] about other problematic words. A few months ago I pointed out my dilemma about whether to use gantlet or gauntlet when referring to a figurative double line through which someone must pass with difficulty. I chose […]

    Reply

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