That’s what I thought first too, but it seems to also have a political meaning.
treated-as-reliable
You mean the test can be completely unreliable, like many political litmus tests probably are?
Yes, I do mean that.
What a sadly disfigured figure of speech. Chemists would disapprove :(
I wonder if there are many more like it.
That’s pretty much the same meaning; just read “person or policy” for “system”, and “ideologically acceptable” for “in a given state”.
The main difference is the test doesn’t have to be any good.
That’s what I thought first too, but it seems to also have a political meaning.
You mean the test can be completely unreliable, like many political litmus tests probably are?
Yes, I do mean that.
What a sadly disfigured figure of speech. Chemists would disapprove :(
I wonder if there are many more like it.
That’s pretty much the same meaning; just read “person or policy” for “system”, and “ideologically acceptable” for “in a given state”.
The main difference is the test doesn’t have to be any good.