trial by fire

Idioms  

1. A test of one's abilities to perform well under pressure, as in Finishing this buge list of chores in time for the wedding is really a trial by fire. This expression alludes to the medieval practice of determining a person's guilt by having them undergo an ordeal, such as walking barefoot through a fire.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trial by fire

In a diplomatic trial by fire she hosted President Trump in Tokyo only days later, widely seen in Japan as a huge success.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026

It was kind of trial by fire as soon as I was born, in a way, on a human, cultural level.

From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2023

That trial by fire proved Moody was ready to take the reins.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 9, 2023

As principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Stasevska has already passed a trial by fire: She conducted the orchestra in the Last Night at the Proms in September 2020.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2022

Yet he suspected this was just the beginning of a much larger trial by fire.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman