noun

• Protective armor for the hands, formerly thrown down as a challenge to combat.
• A long glove covering the wrist.
• (nautical) A rope on which hammocks or clothes are hung for drying.
• (medicine) An eruption of pellagra on the hands.
• (archaic) Two parallel rows of attackers who strike at a criminal as punishment.
• A simultaneous attack from two or more sides.
• (figuratively) Any challenging, difficult, or painful ordeal, often one performed for atonement or punishment.
• (rail transport) 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.