Feuertaufe

Everybody runs across those situations that demand a bit too much - whether it's a test you didn't study for, your first marathon, or being thrown into the deep end when you're learning to swim. Language may fail you in those moments, but fortunately German has a word for them: Feuertaufe (literally, fire baptism). The English equivalent - trial or baptism by fire - is similar enough, but now when you're in the heat of the moment in Germany, you won't be at a loss for words.