proving ground
noun1
Government, Military, Politics, War A terrain or installation for testing weapons, military equipment, or tactics.
2
Figuratively A venue or project in which new technologies, methods, or techniques are tested.
- To test the new equipment and vehicles that will work to the high voltage a.c. system, a proving ground was sought at a convenient point, and the lines from Colchester to Clacton and Walton have been selected.1956 June, “Electrification in Clydeside and East Anglia”, in Railway Magazine, page 414:
- Several design issues emerged quite quickly with the Mirrlees engine, and so these locomotives can be seen as its rail-traction proving ground.2021 June 30, David Clough, “Brush: a UK rail icon”, in RAIL, number 934, page 55:
- Related terms
- firing range