Google has finally thrown down the gauntlet

[KC Jones]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

???

To "throw down the gauntlet," as I'm sure you know, means to challenge someone else to a fight, and our modern use of the phrase is essentially identical to its original meaning. The "gauntlet" in the phrase is the heavy glove once worn by knights in armor (and comes from a diminutive form of "gant," French for "glove"). A knight who threw his gauntlet down before another was issuing a formal challenge to duel, which his opponent then accepted by picking up the gauntlet. While formal duels are now a thing of the past (people seem to pretty much just up and shoot each other these days), "throwing down the gauntlet" lives on in more metaphorically combative contexts, such as courtrooms and proxy fights.

MS has started encroaching on Google's turf by attempting to enter the search engine market. Google has just fired back with an entry into the office suite market.