Leather glove

Leather glove

A leather glove is a fitted covering for the hand with a separate sheath for each finger and the thumb. This covering is composed of the tanned hide of an animal (with the hair removed), though it is not uncommon in recent years for the leather to be synthetic.

Common uses

A common use for leather gloves is sporting events. In baseball, a baseball glove is an oversized leather glove with a web used for fielding the ball. Leather gloves also factor into playing handball. Cyclists also use leather gloves. Leather gloves are also used frequently by football players so that they can more easily grip the ball.

Leather gloves also provide protection from occupational hazards. For example, beekeepers use leather gloves to avoid being stung by bees. Construction workers might also use leather gloves for added grip and for protecting their hands.

Some people also have a fetish revolving around leather gloves.

In history

Leather gloves have also been noted throughout history. The 1592 "Ditchley" portrait of Queen Elizabeth I features her holding leather gloves in her left hand. In the Victorian era, some women would wear undersized leather gloves in an effort to shrink the size of their hands, as small hands were considered a sign of beauty.Fact|date=January 2008 A gauntlet, which could be a glove made out of leather or some kind of metal armor, was a strategic part of a soldier's defense throughout the Middle Ages, but the advent of firearms phased hand-to-hand fighting out of most military engagements. As a result, the need for gauntlets also disappeared. As far back as the Old Testament book of Leviticus, the Jews were instructed to show their leather gloves to priests if it appeared the mildew was growing on them, and if so, the gloves would be considered unclean.Fact|date=January 2008

More recently in history, Tommie Smith and John Carlos held up their leather glove-clad fists at the awards ceremony of the 1968 Summer Olympics. Their actions were intended to symbolize Black Power, but they were banned from the Olympics for life as a result of the incident. Yet another of the more infamous episodes involving a leather glove came during the 1995 O.J. Simpson murder case in which Simpson demonstrated that the glove purportedly used in the alleged murder was too small to fit his hand.Fact|date=January 2008

In popular culture and fiction

A popular depiction of a leather glove in fiction is the use of such a glove by Anakin Skywalker in the "Star Wars" movies. He wears the glove to cover his robotic hand and to hint at the transformation of Anakin into the evil villain Darth Vader. In the tv show Bonanza, Joe Cartwright famously wore black leather gloves Another example of leather gloves in fiction is in the "Hitman" video games. Agent 47, the main character, is an assassin who typically wears a suit, tie, and prominently-displayed black leather gloves. In a "Celebrity Jeopardy!" sketch on "Saturday Night Live", Sean Connery (as portrayed by Darrell Hammond) humorously refers to a leather glove being an object out of which people drink water.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • glove — gloveless, adj. glovelike, adj. /gluv/, n., v., gloved, gloving. n. 1. a covering for the hand made with a separate sheath for each finger and for the thumb. 2. See boxing glove. 3. See baseball glove. 4. gauntlet1. 5 …   Universalium

  • glove — noun (C) 1 a piece of clothing which covers your hand, especially one which has separate parts for each finger compare mitten 2 a large leather glove used in boxing 3 a large leather glove used to catch the ball in baseball see also: fit (sb)… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • leather — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) n. skin, hide; cowhide, calfskin, etc. See covering, materials. II (Roget s IV) n. Syn. tanned hide, parchment, vellum, kangaroo hide, calfskin, horsehide, buckskin, deerskin, elk hide, goatskin,… …   English dictionary for students

  • Glove fetishism — is a fetish where an individual is obsessed and fixated by another or oneself wearing gloves on their hands. In some cases, the fetish is enhanced by the material of the glove, (e.g. leather, cotton, latex, satin or nylon). Often, the actions of… …   Wikipedia

  • glove — [gluv] n. [ME < OE glof & ON glofi < ? Gmc * ga lōfa < * ga , together (OE ge ) + * lōfa (Goth lōfa), palm of the hand: for IE base see LUFF] 1. a covering for the hand, made of leather, cloth, etc., with a separate sheath for each… …   English World dictionary

  • glove — [glʌv] n [: Old English; Origin: glof] 1.) a piece of clothing that you wear on your hand in order to protect it or keep it warm →↑mitten ▪ a pair of gloves ▪ boxing gloves rubber/leather etc gloves 2.) the gloves are off used …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • glove leather — glove′ leath er n. clo a soft, smooth, pliable, stretchable leather • Etymology: 1720–25 …   From formal English to slang

  • glove — [ glʌv ] noun count ** 1. ) a piece of clothing that covers your fingers and hands: a pair of gloves leather/silk gloves rubber gloves: Wear rubber gloves when handling harsh chemicals. 2. ) a BOXING GLOVE take the gloves off to start fighting or …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Glove — Mittens redirects here. For the geological formation, see Monument Valley. For other uses, see Glove (disambiguation). Pair of gloves, 1603 1625 V A Museum no.1506 A 1882 …   Wikipedia

  • glove — n. 1) boxing; kid; lace; leather; rubber; suede; work gloves 2) an oven glove (esp. BE; AE has pot holder) 3) a pair of gloves 4) (misc.) to fit like a glove ( to fit perfectly ) * * * [glʌv] kid lace leather …   Combinatory dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”