litmus test

litmus test

1. A chemical test used to determine acidity or alkalinity in a solution. The students performed a litmus test in class to learn whether the chemical solution was an acid or a base.
2. A test used to determine someone's true intentions or beliefs. I used his reaction to my favorite movie as a litmus test to determine if he was worth dating.
See also: litmus, test
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

litmus test

 
1. Lit. a test used to determine the acidity or alkalinity of chemical substances. (Acid turns litmus paper red and alkaline compounds turn it blue.) I used a litmus test to show that the compound was slightly acid.
2. Fig. a question or experiment that seeks to determine the state of one important factor. His performance on the long exam served as a litmus test to determine whether he would go to college. The amount of white cells in my blood became the litmus test for diagnosing my disease.
See also: litmus, test
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

a litmus test

JOURNALISM
COMMON If something is a litmus test of the quality or success of a particular thing, it is an effective way of proving it or measuring it. My personal litmus test when I have to decide whether to keep or discard something is whether or not I look at and enjoy it every day. The success of wind power represents a litmus test for renewable energy. Note: Litmus paper is used to test the acidity of substances. It turns red in acid conditions and blue in alkaline conditions.
See also: litmus, test
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
See also:
  • a litmus test
  • litmus
  • test out
  • test for
  • test for (something)
  • the Bechdel test
  • bring (one) to the test
  • cram for a/the test
  • put (someone or something) to the test
  • put somebody/something to the test
References in periodicals archive
We wrote about this-"Time again to pretend Democratic Party does not have an abortion 'litmus test' for candidates." In one paragraph, here was my take.
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The problem with litmus test questions, laced with judgment as they are, is that they have a shaming quality that can nudge inexperienced or otherwise uncertain beekeepers into bad decisions.
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"Cancun is the first major litmus test of the Arms Trade Treaty, and a great opportunity for countries to make history by pursuing the goals of the treaty designed to save lives," Mexican daily La Jornada quoted Marek Marczynski, Amnesty International's head of military, security and police, as saying on Thursday.
UN weapons conference in Mexico "litmus test" of Arms Trade Treaty
The matter does not permit a litmus test, cookie-cutter, or box-checking approach.
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The litmus test will be the introduction of an EU-wide collective redress system for the benefit of its 500 million consumers," commented BEUC Director-General Monique Goyens, in a statement released on 22 May.
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Regarded as a litmus test for the health of the real estate industry, it will be interesting to note how busy the floors are this year.
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The real litmus test of a player's value to a dressing room is the reaction of his team-mates.
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<![CDATA[ What might be a good indicator or litmus test of the direction in which Libya is going?
The Arab Spring and the Jews: The Necessary Litmus Test
The Savings-to-Employment Income Ratio is a litmus test for estimating the health of an investor's retirement savings and requires only a few pieces of information to calculate.
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"The Dongria's campaign became a litmus test of whether a small marginalised tribe could stand up to a multinational company," Jo Woodman, a campaigner with the advocacy group Survival international, said in a statement.
India backs tribe in mining ruling
Summary: DUBAI/ABU DHABI: Dubai's state-owned utility kicked off a roadshow on Tuesday to raise up to $3 billion in a litmus test of how Dubai entities will fare in debt markets following the Gulf Arab emirate's refinancing crisis.
Dubai utility to tap bond market in litmus test for emirate
Elliot: And they all have one thing in common, which I capture in the Soloway Mobile Litmus Test for administrators.
Our children are telling us how they want to learn: are you listening?
The product will provide almost any textile with the ability to create a 'twenty-first century' litmus test. However, it is highly durable and can be used on an industrial scale and unlike litmus paper, which displays acid as red, ITS fibresmart changes from green to fluorescent yellow, allowing it to be seen from a distance, providing an early warning of potential leaks and seepage.
Coating passes the acid test
Protection of the Maldives and other low-lying areas will be the litmus test.
Greed the enemy