Meaning & use
acid test
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Meanings
nounusually singularfigurative
A situation or trial that clearly shows whether something is good, true or effective.
Grammar: Usually singular with the: the acid test of something.
Patterns
- the acid test of something
- pass the acid test
- put something to the acid test
The acid test of a new recipe is whether your family asks for it again.
The product passed the acid test when customers kept buying it.
A long, difficult season is the acid test for any young team.
nouncountabletechnicalchemistry
A chemical test using strong acid to check whether a metal, usually gold, is genuine.
Grammar: Countable in the literal chemical sense: carry out an acid test.
Patterns
- carry out an acid test
- an acid test on something
The jeweler carried out an acid test on the ring to check it was real gold.
Miners once used an acid test to find out how pure a sample was.
An acid test would damage the surface slightly, so he used a scanner instead.
Word forms
| plural | acid tests |
|---|
Common combinations
- pass the acid test
- The new system passed the acid test during the storm.
- fail the acid test
- The plan failed the acid test of real use.
- the ultimate acid test
- A final exam is the ultimate acid test of what you learned.
- put to the acid test
- The team's loyalty was put to the acid test.
- the acid test of
- The acid test of friendship is helping in hard times.
Synonyms and how they differ
- litmus test
- A litmus test usually points to one deciding factor, often on a question of opinion, while acid test shows whether something really works.
- crucial test
- Crucial test is plain and literal, whereas acid test is a fixed idiom with a hint of proving true worth.
- trial
- A trial can be any attempt or hardship, while acid test always decides whether something is genuine or good.
- touchstone
- A touchstone is a standard against which things are judged, not an event that tests them.
Word family
Commonly confused: acid test or litmus test?
acid test vs litmus test
A litmus test is used when one question decides your position, such as a political view. An acid test shows whether something truly works or is genuine.
Practice
The real ______ of a new bridge is whether it stands up to a severe storm.
Choose one answer.
Acid test means a decisive test of real quality. A first draft, side effect or rough guess does not describe a test that proves something works.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “acid test”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.