In honor of the weather in Los Angeles this week, here are ten different ways Americans use the word “hot.”
1. at a very high temperature; capable of burning
Wife: Be careful near the stove! It’s hot. I just cooked something.
Husband: Thanks for the warning! I wouldn’t want to burn
myself.
2. at a temperature higher than normal
Mom: Your forehead is so hot!
Son: Does that mean I don’t have to go to school?
Mom: With a fever like that, you have to go back to bed.
3. spicy
Mina: I love Thai food. I’m going to order “drunken
noodles” very hot.
Tim: I can’t eat anything too spicy. Can we order it medium?
4. intense emotion
Robert: Wow! Did you see Tina yell at that guy in the
parking lot?
Michelle: Yeah! I didn’t realize she had such a hot temper.
5. popular
Ingrid: Did you get Beyoncé tickets?
Todd: I couldn’t. She’s so hot right now, they sold out instantly.
6. causing a lot of new interest
George: How was Coachella?
Kimberly: It was amazing. And I saw the strong>hottest band early Saturday afternoon. Everyone was talking about their performance the rest of the day. I think they’re going to be huge in a couple years.
7. stolen
Jason: So Steve just called me from jail. He got arrested.
Karen: Really? What happened?
Jason: He was with a friend who was driving a hot car.
Karen: Did Steve know it was stolen?
Jason: I don’t think so. Want to go with me to bail him out
of jail?
8. attractive
Karla: Your trainer is so hot! He’s gorgeous!
Hailey: Why do you think I’ve been coming to the gym so much
lately?
9. attracted to
Hailey: Remember my trainer?
Karla: The gorgeous one? How could I forget?
Hailey: Turns out, he’s hot for me too. We’re going on a
date tonight.
Karla: I’m so jealous! Have fun!
10. very good (often used with “not” in a negative way)
Nicole: How are you feeling?
Eric: Not so hot. I think I’m going to take today
off work and go to the doctor.
Visit our website: languagesystems.edu
