˜yÐÄvlog

Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

acid test

noun

  1. a severe and conclusive test to establish quality, genuineness, worth, etc.


acid test

noun

  1. a rigorous and conclusive test to establish worth or value

    the play passed the critic's acid test

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of acid test1

First recorded in 1890–95
Discover More

˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of acid test1

C19: from the testing of gold with nitric acid
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

A decisive trial to determine worth or quality, as in Exposure to brilliant sunlight is the acid test for showing this fabric won't fade . Alluding to a 19th-century chemical test for distinguishing gold from other metals, this term was used figuratively by the early 1900s.

Advertisement

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement