baptism by fire

English

Alternative forms

• baptism of fire

Etymology

From the Bible, Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist said... "and He shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire."

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

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Noun

baptism by fire (plural baptisms by fire)

1. (idiomatic) A rite of passage through the survival or success of a crisis or ordeal.

   The new folks really get put through a baptism by fire, to start doing a stressful job with so little training.

Translations

baptism of fire — see baptism of fire

See also

• hazing
• initiation
• trial by fire
• trial by ordeal