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

"I have no business education. It's all been trial by fire and learning as we go," says Skuse.

From BBC

The first week with the teams—which Palantir intentionally set up as a trial by fire—proved difficult for all the fellows.

From The Wall Street Journal

On this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode of Amicus, co-hosts Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern discussed this increasingly heated dispute, and why some members of the court have warned that it amounts to a trial by fire for American self-governance.

From Slate

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

From 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.

From Los Angeles Times