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Ammer, Christine. "the acid test." Writer's Reference Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 14 Apr. 2025. <http://fofweb.infobase.com/wrc/Detail.aspx?iPin=DOC00007>.
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the acid test

Definition 
A conclusive trial to establish the truth or worth of something or someone. The term comes from a test long used to distinguish gold from copper or some other metal. Most corrosive acids do not affect gold, but a solution of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid dissolves the metal. Used literally by jewelers in the late nineteenth century, the term soon was employed figuratively, by U.S. president Woodrow Wilson among others.

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