acid test
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acid test
n.
A decisive or critical test, as of worth or quality.
[From the testing of gold in nitric acid.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
acid test
n
a rigorous and conclusive test to establish worth or value: the play passed the critic's acid test.
[C19: from the testing of gold with nitric acid]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ac′id test′
n.
a severe and conclusive test, as to establish quality, genuineness, or worth.
[1890–95]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
acid test
- A test that is conclusive of the value or success of something, derived from the original use of nitric acid as a test for gold.See also related terms for success.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
acid test
Any decisive test or ordeal; from the former use of nitric acid to test a metal for its gold content.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
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| Noun | 1. |  acid test - a rigorous or crucial appraisal appraisal, assessment - the classification of someone or something with respect to its worth |
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