gauntlet

noun9

1. •
   (figurative) Any challenging, difficult, or painful ordeal, often one performed for atonement or punishment.

   • [John] Winthrop ran the gantlet of daily slights from his neighbors. — 1858
2. •
   Protective armor for the hands, formerly thrown down as a challenge to combat.
3. •
   A long glove covering the wrist.

   • The hawk no longer darts forth from the gauntlet to soar through the air for his prey. — 1961
4. •
   A simultaneous attack from two or more sides.
5. •
   A fight against swarms of relatively minor enemies in the form of multiple waves, often but not always preceding a boss.
6. •
   Overlapping parallel rail tracks; either to allowing passage through a narrow opening in each direction without switching, or to allow vehicles of a larger gauge to pass through a station without hitting the platforms.
7. •
   A rope on which hammocks or clothes are hung for drying.
8. •
   An eruption of pellagra on the hands.
9. •
   (no longer used) Two parallel rows of attackers who strike at a criminal as punishment.