baptism of fire
1
7.7
- noun
- /ˈbæptɪzəm əv faɪər/
- Informal
:
bautismo de fuego
- "...Australia's fighting force faced its baptism of fire on the rocky slopes..."
So yeah, that was baptism of fire into the world of work.
- So yeah, that was baptism of fire into the world of work.
- And it was a baptism of fire.
Examples
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Dannie, I had to rush Kobus and my son to the hospital on the other side of the ferry two months ago—my baptism of fire, as it was the first drive on the ferry for me as a driver.
Blog text (25) -
So yeah, that was baptism of fire into the world of work.
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"...that can only come through an inevitable baptism of fire.
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And it was, you know, as Diana described it, as a baptism of fire.
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My initial baptism of fire was aboard the USS Detroit at Pearl Harbor.
Blog text (11) -
I'm something of a born-again capitalist, and I have recently (since last December) started buying stocks... it's been a baptism of fire.
Blog text (32) -
Starting her new job during a crisis felt like a baptism of fire that tested her leadership skills.
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His first day on the front lines was a real baptism of fire as he faced challenging situations.
-
The challenging project was her baptism of fire in the competitive tech industry.
Synonyms
∞
3.1
A difficult task that tests a person's skill and will
755
1.0
A situation that challenges a person's ability or courage
87
3.5
A difficult experience that tests your patience
3
7.4
A very difficult test that shows if someone can do a job under pressure
An experience that tests someone for the first time, often a hard lesson
Antonyms
How Challenging
Surface Forms
Morphology
baptism + of + fire
The phrase puts together 'baptism' (an initiation/rite) and 'fire' (danger, trial), so a learner who knows both words can plausibly infer a metaphorical sense of an initial, testing experience. However, because it relies on a cultural/religious metaphor (and 'baptism' normally involves water), the mapping is not fully literal or universally obvious without prior exposure, making the meaning only partially predictable.
Etymology
Baptism of fire comes from the image of a new person facing danger for the first time: baptism is a ceremony that marks a beginning and fire stands for battle or danger, so being 'baptized by fire' meant a tough first fight. That's why today baptism of fire means 'a first hard test' that shows what you can do.