One Idiom One Day: Acid test
He played well in the last match, but the acid test will come when the team plays the stronger opponents.
a sure or decisive test that proves a hypothesis or validity of a product or idea
The phrase means a chemical test to prove the pureness of gold. This test was developed in the late 18th century and used nitric acid, which dissolve other metals more readily than gold. So the amount of metal dissolved would prove the pureness of the gold. The figurative use started around the mid 19th century, with the earliest print reference being in the Wisconsin paper “The Columbia Reporter” in November 1845.
E.g., The product looks great, but will people buy it? That’s the acid test.
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