What does the idiom hot potato mean?

Definition of hot potato

: a controversial question or issue that involves unpleasant or dangerous consequences for anyone dealing with it.

What is the origin of the idiom a hot potato?

The term originated in the mid 1800s and is derived from the slightly older term “to drop like a hot potato”, meaning “to abandon something or someone quickly”. It alludes to the fact that cooked potatoes retain considerable heat because they contain a lot of water.

What is example of a hot potato?

A hot potato is an issue that makes everyone feel uncomfortable. The phrase hot potato comes up a lot in politics. For example, a reporter might explain that a candidate won't speak about a controversial topic because it's "a political hot potato," or an issue that people disagree strongly about.

How to use the word hot potato in a sentence?

It is a hot potato at the moment, and is causing a great deal of concern to many people. He seems to have landed himself with something of a hot potato today. We all know what a politically hot potato education is. The problem has come back again, and it is a kind of hot potato.

What does potato mean in slang?

In a slang, potato is someone uninteresting,dull,strange ,ugly or fat.

Idioms / Meaning Of The Idiom A Hot Potato / Idiom Meaning And Use In Conversations

What is meant by potato girl?

someone that is too lazy to do anything is a potato or we often call it couch potato.

What does potato mean in rap?

In a slang, potato is someone uninteresting,dull,strange ,ugly or fat. Potato is also a word used by some people to describe themselves in a humorous way.

What are examples of idioms?

When did hot potato start?

Nobody knows when the first proto-Hot Potato game was played (possibly by 18th-century Irish kids with real scalding potatoes – we're just guessing), but by the 1950s, manufactured Hot Potato games were already on store shelves.

How do you play hot potatoes?

Who invented hot potato?

Hot Potato was developed for over four years by game designer Dima Pavlovsky before development was picked up by Pukka Games.

What does the idiom burn the midnight oil mean?

Burn the midnight oil is a phrase that means to stay up late at night to work, study, read, or perform some other activity, as in In order to finish this project on time we are going to have to burn the midnight oil tonight. Burn the midnight oil is especially likely to refer to studying or working.

What does spilling the beans mean?

Disclose a secret or reveal something prematurely, as in You can count on little Carol to spill the beans about the surprise. In this colloquial expression, first recorded in 1919, spill means “divulge,” a usage dating from the 1500s.

Is raining cats and dogs an idiom?

The English-language idiom "raining cats and dogs or raining dogs and cats" is used to describe particularly heavy rain. It is of unknown etymology and is not necessarily related to the raining animals phenomenon. The phrase (with "polecats" instead of "cats") has been used at least since the 17th century.

What is the meaning of its raining cats and dogs?

“Cats and dogs” may come from the Greek expression cata doxa, which means “contrary to experience or belief.” If it is raining cats and dogs, it is raining unusually or unbelievably hard.

What are synonyms for cynic?

What does it mean to call yourself a potato?

People would comment on a post and say something like “did you take this pic with a potato?” I remember toaster being popular too but potato just became the default over time. From there it evolved into a slang term for virtually anything “below average”, from cheaply made goods to (unfortunately) disabled people.

Is Murphy slang for potato?

Since, for some reason, people named Murphy inevitably get the nickname Spud, and potatoes are sometimes called “Murphy,” the name Spud was also applied to potatoes.

What is im a potato from?

The “I'm a potato” TikTok sound first emerged in 2020 and stems from a since-deleted video uploaded by @KaylaHaynes614, who recorded her daughter using a tomato 'skin' — a filter that makes her face look like a tomato. Despite the video being deleted, the audio has been used over 140 thousand times.

How is a potato a symbol of love?

The potato is nothing like that. It is a representation that our love is a representation of many ideals. In cooking, your love provides nourishment. In medicine, your love provides protection.

What is a potato face?

according to the urban dictionnary a potato face is "someone with an abnormally large forehead, similar to having a potato on it"

What is Couch potato SA?

Definition of couch potato

: a lazy and inactive person especially : one who spends a great deal of time watching television.

What does sixes and sevens mean in England?

If you say that someone or something is at sixes and sevens, you mean that they are confused or disorganized.