litmus paper
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of litmus paper
First recorded in 1795–1805
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The best way to confirm that the solution is neutralized is with litmus paper.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 7, 2022
Watson recalls one telling advertising campaign: posters printed on litmus paper that said: “When acid rain is falling, you should see red” – offering a vivid illustration of the problem.
From The Guardian • Oct. 12, 2020
Peterson's guide also played a role in creating today's environmental awareness; as he explains, birds act as a kind of "ecological litmus paper," reacting to changes in their surroundings long before man does.
From Time Magazine Archive
It is easy enough to say, with Elmer Davis, that eminent piece of journalistic litmus paper, that ex-Communists are bores.
From Time Magazine Archive
But if you put a piece of litmus paper into something that is neither an acid nor a base, like sugar or salt, it will still stay the same color.
From Common Science by Ritchie, John W. (John Woodside)
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.
