trial run vs yardstick

trial run

noun
  • An empirical test of the suitability or effectiveness of a method or thing by running it at least once. 

  • An empirical test of the suitability or capability of a person or actor by letting him perform at least once. 

yardstick

noun
  • A standard to which other measurements or comparisons are judged. 

  • A measuring rod thirty-six inches (one yard) long. 

How often have the words trial run and yardstick occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )