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acid test

noun
/ˌæsɪd ˈtɛst/US

Etymology

From acid + test; sense 1 (“test involving the reaction of an acid with another chemical”) and sense 2 (“rigorous test or appraisal of the quality or worth of something”) refer to the use of nitric acid to test if a metal is gold; true gold is not affected by the acid. Sense 3 (“party based around the use and advocacy of the psychedelic drug LSD”) is a pun referencing the slang term acid (“LSD”). The original “acid test” parties were thrown by the Merry Pranksters group between 1965 and 1966 and advertised by the slogan “Can you pass the acid test?”

  1. derived from testum — “the lid of an earthen vessel, an earthen vessel, an earthen pot”
  2. derived from test
  3. inherited from test
  4. compounded as acid test — “acid + test”

Definitions

  1. A test involving the reaction of an acid with another chemical.

  2. A rigorous test or appraisal of the quality or worth of something.

    • [H]e reflected that few professional beauties could have stood, as this woman did, the acid test of that mercilessly brilliant morning.
    • "Eggs, Parker," said Freddie solemnly, "are the acid test!" / "Yes, sir?" / "If, on the morning after, you can tackle a poached egg, you are all right. If not not. And don't let anybody tell you otherwise."

  3. In the 1960s, a party based around the use and advocacy of the psychedelic drug LSD…

    In the 1960s, a party based around the use and advocacy of the psychedelic drug LSD (known in slang as acid).

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for acid test. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA