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Ethymology of "dry run" is explained here: "Where does the phrase "dry run" come from?". What is its antonym?

However I wonder, what is the opposite of "dry run". I guess it might vary a lot depending on context. I am starting from programming context (many programs have option "dry run" , I wonder how to call opposite option "wet run"?). However I would be happy to receive more universal overview (as "dry run" can be used in contexts of : showing presentation, running production process, army test and many more)

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Grzegorz Wierzowiecki
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    Have you considered in production, as in: We ran the new code in production? For example, development could be separated into Coding, Staging, and Production. Another option, which I believe I have heard in software systems that control machines (such as 3D printers) would be to say live run. – Michael Dec 06 '15 at 11:08
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    Yeah, "production", "on-line", "live", etc, would be the opposite. – Hot Licks Dec 06 '15 at 12:33
  • And look up antonyms for "practice". – Hot Licks Dec 06 '15 at 12:34
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    So how program flag would look like? "--live-run" ? I like @Lawrence advice , maybe "--exec" "--execute" (when dry run is default). – Grzegorz Wierzowiecki Dec 06 '15 at 12:44
  • I think @Michael 's comment should be an answer. – Dan Dec 06 '15 at 12:54
  • If I had a more formal understanding, I might have tried writing an answer on this, but as it stands, I do not feel sufficiently educated on this specific topic of terminology. I simply recalled having heard live run being used somewhere with the meaning being here sought. – Michael Dec 06 '15 at 13:00
  • If a 'dry run' is a run-through rehearsal, w hat about "Beta" as a term for a test run which is interactive. – Hugh Dec 06 '15 at 15:52
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    I wouldn't agree with @Michael's comment. production / staging / etc. are environments. Dry run is a way to run a process. For example you could run a dry run in production, where it would indeed use production resources, but not write files / commit stuff. – yannick1976 Oct 07 '21 at 12:40

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It depends on what you mean by an opposite. Nouns and noun phrases don't always have opposites - e.g. what is the opposite word for hospital, car, etc? It strays into philosophy, but we can consider functional opposites, that is, opposites in the sense of their effect or position, etc.

Since a dry run is a practice event, the candidates that come to mind for an 'opposite' meaning are:

Update @Michael's comment to the question includes the excellent 'not practice' opposite live run.

Lawrence
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The term wet run appears to have at least some usage:

At Brooks International, we use the terms “dry run” and “wet run” to describe activity leading to the “I Date,” where the client’s strategic imperative is fully implemented and beginning to return benefits at the rate required in the initial agreement (cash flow).

A Salem Daily News article from July 6, 1896, describes a contest between fire companies as dry runs (this is the first known usage of the term). The contests did not use water. Fire company drills with water were and may still be known as wet runs.

However, having just run into the same wording problem, I decided to go for non-dry run, for the following reasons:

  • in my case (and possibly in yours too), both expressions (dry and non-dry) would appear near each other, making the connection clear.
  • non-dry run is understandable on its own and can be easily associated with dry run (personal opinion).
  • wet run is practically not used despite my above example (most of the few cases found by Google are from different contexts anyway), and would thus likely be perceived as odd and possibly not understood at all.
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mindriot
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You're right – this depends a lot on context. For example, I'm not sure if theater companies would use the same terminology as software companies. (And that makes me wonder: would dress rehearsal be considered a synonym or an antonym for dry run? It seems like it could be used either way – maybe more of an antonym if we used full dress rehearsal.)

Another option that came into my mind was D-Day. In addition to its historical meaning, NOAD provides this definition:

D-Day (noun) the day on which an important operation is to begin or a change to take effect

It wouldn't be a universally-applicable "antonym" for dry run, but I've heard it used every now and then to refer to a momentous date requiring a lot of coordination (say, a wedding day). I found one message board where a contributer used D-Day to refer to the day she'd quit smoking1. The Independent used the term in a business context2:

Argos is gearing up to be able to stand on its own two feet after being demerged from its parent company, GUS. D-day is on Wednesday, when shares in ARG ... will trade as a separate company.

So, it doesn't seem like too much of a stretch say something like:

We'll have a dry run on the 23rd; D-Day is on the 25th.

J.R.
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  • Assuming people know what D day was...maybe D day is now so idiomatic that people don't understand the reference but can use the expression. – michael_timofeev Dec 07 '15 at 01:15
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I'm late to the party, but in my case the dry run is only a partial portion of my code - it stops short of doing dangerous things. So I'm using complete as the opposite of dry run. I suppose whole, entire, or full would do.

changokun
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