🗓️ Idiom: A Baptism of Fire (n)
💬 Meaning
- A difficult first experience in a new job or role.
- It means facing a tough challenge right at the beginning of something new.
🧠 Example Sentences
- Her first week as team leader was a baptism of fire. Three staff quit and a major client complained.
- Taking over during a company crisis was a baptism of fire for the new director.
- Many new employees go through a baptism of fire when they first start.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom originally referred to a soldier’s first experience in battle. Today, it’s used in business and other contexts to describe a tough first experience that tests a person immediately.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
Starting during the system upgrade was __________ for the new IT manager.
Answer
a baptism of fire
2. Choose the correct meaning of “a baptism of fire”:
A) A slow and easy start
B) A helpful training program
C) A difficult beginning experience
D) A celebration of success
Answer
C) A difficult beginning experience
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“His first task was very hard and happened during a company emergency.” → Change the sentence using: a baptism of fire
Answer
His first task was a baptism of fire during a company emergency.