trial by fire

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.

Example Sentences

Not unlike her first day on the job as director-to-be of AIIMS, which was nothing short of a trial by fire.

Read more on BBC

“Thousands of people like me have had their trial by fire, only to be released and been told that it’s worth nothing,” said Corleto, who now works with Vera Institute of Justice, a national organization focused on criminal justice reform.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Our wedding was trial by fire and we survived,” she added.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“The scale was so massive compared to what I’d done before, it was trial by fire. I always want to bite off a little more than I can chew, and when that one was over, I said to myself, ‘OK, I know how to direct.’

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Joe Alt’s trial by fire in the NFL continues with Cleveland’s Myles Garrett.

Read more on Los Angeles Times