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He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Find him and other
winners in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of American Writers.
http://www.m-w.com/book/peoplace/amwrit.htm
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The Word of the Day for January 17 is:

gauntlet   \GAWNT-lut or GAHNT-lut\   (noun)
     1 : a protective glove
    *2 : an open challenge (as to combat)
     3 : a dress glove extending above the wrist

Example sentence:
    Herb threw down the gauntlet, asking his guests, "Which one
of you wants to get beaten in a game of chess?"

Did you know?
     "Gauntlet" comes from the Middle French "gantelet," the
diminutive of "gant," meaning "glove." (The "gauntlet" meaning
"ordeal" or "double file of armed men" is a different word of
a different origin.) Ultimately, "gant" is of Germanic origin.
To "throw down the gauntlet" means "to issue an open challenge."
To "pick up the gauntlet" means "to accept an open challenge."
These figurative phrases come from the conventions of medieval
combat. The gauntlet was the glove of a suit of armor. To
challenge someone to combat, a knight would throw his glove at
another knight's feet. The second knight would take it up if he
intended to accept the challenge, in which case a jousting match
might ensue.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

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