TST: troubleshoot strict=False xfails

pandas/tests/base/test_unique.py

@@ -105,9 +105,6 @@ def test_nunique_null(null_obj, index_or_series_obj):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.single_cpu
-@pytest.mark.xfail(
-    reason="Flaky in the CI. Remove once CI has a single build: GH 44584", strict=False
-)
 def test_unique_bad_unicode(index_or_series):
     # regression test for #34550
     uval = "\ud83d"  # smiley emoji

pandas/tests/computation/test_eval.py

@@ -860,19 +860,6 @@ def test_basic_frame_series_alignment(
     def test_basic_series_frame_alignment(
         self, request, engine, parser, index_name, r_idx_type, c_idx_type
     ):
-        if (
-            engine == "numexpr"
-            and parser == "pandas"
-            and index_name == "index"
-            and r_idx_type == "i"
-            and c_idx_type == "s"
-        ):
-            reason = (
-                f"Flaky column ordering when engine={engine}, "
-                f"parser={parser}, index_name={index_name}, "
-                f"r_idx_type={r_idx_type}, c_idx_type={c_idx_type}"
-            )
-            request.node.add_marker(pytest.mark.xfail(reason=reason, strict=False))
         df = tm.makeCustomDataframe(
             10, 7, data_gen_f=f, r_idx_type=r_idx_type, c_idx_type=c_idx_type
         )

pandas/tests/extension/json/test_json.py

@@ -277,6 +277,7 @@ def test_combine_add(self, data_repeated):
         reason="combine for JSONArray not supported - "
         "may pass depending on random data",
         strict=False,
+        raises=AssertionError,
     )
     def test_combine_first(self, data):
         super().test_combine_first(data)