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a baptism of fire

phrase/ə ˈbæptɪzəm əv ˈfaɪə/

C1CEFR level
55/100Rarity: uncommon
NeutralRegister

A very difficult introduction to a new job or activity that tests someone severely.

Covering the election on her first week was a real baptism of fire for the young reporter.

Similar: trial by fire

Topic: Idioms & phrasal verbs in General English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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