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View synonyms for

hot water

noun

Informal.
  1. trouble; a predicament:

    His skipping classes will get him into real hot water when exam time comes.



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Word History and Origins

Origin of hot water1

First recorded in 1530–40
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Idioms and Phrases

Trouble or difficulty, as in She's deep in political hot water , or We got in hot water over the car deal , or He's finally paid his tuition and is out of hot water with the school . This metaphoric term alludes to water hot enough to burn one. [First half of 1500s] Also see in trouble with .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of losing hot water or heating when their old type of electricity meter goes out of action.

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The messaging has landed them in hot water before.

From

Those vents are hydrothermal, meaning hot water pours out from cracks, and they often form near volcanoes.

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"A pair of scissors, one empty teapot and some hot water, please."

From

He said beatings were "meant to break your bones", and that detainees would sometimes be grouped together and have hot water poured over them.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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