Short Trial Of Labor

I recall learning by heart a very complicated and detailed definition of a trial of labor, when I was an undergraduate student. I read much more about it during my postgraduation, and some more subsequently. I heard a lot about a 'short trial of labor' from seniors, colleagues and juniors, but did not read about it anywhere. Considering the elaborate description of a trial of labor, there cannot exist anything like a short trial, nor a long trial. The duration of each trial is determined by a number of factors, and there are criteria about discontinuing trials, about calling them a success or a failure. Clearly a short trial of  labor exists only in a parallel obstetrics that a number of clinicians practice. Happily for them they are not called upon to write on evidence-based obstetrics. Unluckily for students, they become examiners and if the students stick to what they have learned from text books and journals, they can fail in exams at the hands of such examiners who probably believe such a thing actually exists. After all, have they not heard of it from their bosses when they were younger?
I conducted an opinion poll on 'short trial of labor'. Various answers received are listed below.

1. 'It is, um... shorter than a normal trial of labor.'
2. 'It is a trial to be terminated at the slightest indication of anything going wrong.'
3. 'It means a cesarean section is to be performed unless the gravida progresses really fast.'
4. 'If the woman does not deliver in two hours, the trial is said to have failed.'
5. '........' (this was the response of a lot of them).

My interpretation of the term is as follows.

1. It means a cesarean section is to be done based on one's personal feelings, but that does not sound right when one is in an academic institute.
2. One hopes that something will happen in the short period of the trial which will necessitate a cesarean section. On the other hand if it is God's wish that the woman delivers vaginally, she will have a rapid progress of labor and will deliver safely vaginally.