Thursday, September 17, 2009

Annoying (and Fascinating) Word Choices

From an exam at Newsroom101.com... identify the correct word:

After running the corporate (gantlet, gauntlet), he settled down on a worm ranch
in Hohmeister Acres.

The correct answer is "gantlet."

The dictionary and the AP Stylebook both mention "run the gantlet." It
comes from the quaint custom of inviting an offender to run between lines of
club-wielding citizens so they might beat him into better behavior. AP
distinguishes gantlet from gamut (a range, particularly of notes) and
gauntlet (a glove thrown down in a challenge).

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