baptism of fire
n.1. A soldier's first experience of actual combat conditions.
2. A severe ordeal experienced for the first time.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
baptism of fire
n 1. (Military) a soldier's first experience of battle
2. any initiating ordeal or experience
3. (Ecclesiastical Terms) Christianity the penetration of the Holy Ghost into the human spirit to purify, consecrate, and strengthen it, as was believed to have occurred initially at Pentecost
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
bap′tism of fire′
n. 1. spiritual sanctification as a gift of the Holy Ghost.
2. the first experience of a soldier in combat.
3. any severe ordeal that tests one's endurance.
[1815–25]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.