The Glove Compartment Once Really Held Gloves
A glove covers the hand with separate fingers. The car storage box is named from a time when driving gloves were essential.
A glove covers the hand with a separate sheath for each finger. The car's *glove compartment* is a survival: early cars were open, unheated and steered with stiff wheels, so driving gloves were standard equipment and needed somewhere to live. The gloves went; the box and its name stayed. What distinguishes a glove from a mitten is exactly this: mittens group the fingers together, which keeps them warmer.
- A hand covering. *Leather gloves.*
- Glove compartment — a car's storage box. *In the glove compartment.*
- Mitten — fingers together. *Woollen mittens.*
- Fit like a glove — perfectly. *It fits like a glove.*
- Handle with kid gloves — treat delicately. *Kid gloves.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | glove | One glove. |
| Plural | gloves | A pair of gloves. |
| Adjective | gloved | A gloved hand. |
| Compound | glovebox | The glovebox. |
| Old English | glof | A glove. |
- The documents are in the glove compartment.Car.
- The dress fits like a glove.Idiom.
- Mittens keep fingers warmer than gloves.The difference.
Glove idioms
- Fit like a glove — perfectly fitted
- Handle with kid gloves — treat with great care, from soft goatskin
- The gloves are off — restraint abandoned, from bare-knuckle fighting
- Hand in glove — working very closely together
- Throw down the gauntlet — issue a challenge, from armoured gloves
Old English *glof*, from a Germanic root, possibly a compound meaning the palm of the hand.
Why is it called a glove compartment?
Early cars were open and cold, so driving gloves were standard kit and the box was where they were kept.
Why are mittens warmer?
The fingers share one space and warm each other, and there is less surface area for heat to escape.