Fig: to be forced through an unpleasant and humiliating experience; to undergo a hard ordeal

One has to run the gauntlet of the exam to get a diploma

Bisogna passare sotto il giogo dell'esame finale per ottenere il diploma

Biden's financial plan has to run the gantlet of the Congress, where the President's party has a very narrow majority

La manovra finanziaria di Biden deve ora passare sotto le forche caudine del Congresso, dove il partito del presidente ha una maggioranza risicata

The citizens recognized that some of their objectives could be reached by administrative action without running the gantlet of the legislative process

I cittadini capirono che potevano raggiungere alcuni dei loro obiettivi tramite azioni amministrative, senza dover passare sotto il giogo di un procedimento legislatico

Jane has to run the gauntlet of her mother's questions every time she goes out on a date

Gina deve passare sotto il giogo dell'interrogatorio di sua madre ogni volta che esce con un ragazzo

Running the gantlet was a form of military punishment, very popular during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), which was said to have originated among the Swedes. A soldier, guilty of an offense, was forced to strip to the waist and run between two facing lines of his fellows, who would hit him on his back with sticks or knotted ropes. The length of the run would depend upon the severity of the punishment to be inflicted