Words and Their Stories: Hotheaded Hot Shot
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Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
Hot is a simple, easily [A]understood[/A] word. So are most of the [A]expressions[/A] made with the word hot. But not always, as we shall see.
The words hot potato, for [A]example[/A], give you no idea at all to the meaning of the expression, hot potato.
The potato is a popular [A]vegetable[/A] in the United States. Many people like baked [A]potatoes[/A], cooked in an oven or fire. Imagine trying to carry a hot, baked potato in your hand. It would be [A]difficult[/A], even painful, to do so.
Now we are getting close to the meaning of hot potato.
Some publicly disputed issues are highly [A]emotional[/A]. The issues must be treated carefully, or they will be difficult and painful if an [A] elected[/A] official has to deal with them. As difficult and painful as holding a hot potato.
One such hot potato is taxes.
Calling for higher taxes can mean defeat for a [A]politician[/A]. And yet, if taxes are not raised, some very popular [A]government[/A] programs could be cut. And that also can make a politician very unpopular. So the questions must be dealt with carefully, the same way you would handle any other hot potato.
Another expression is not so hot. If you ask someone how she feels, she may answer "not so hot." What she means is she does not feel well.
Not so hot also is a way of saying that you do not really like [A] something[/A]. You may tell a friend that the new play you saw last night is not so hot. That means you did not consider it a [A]success[/A].
A hot shot is a person, often a young person, who thinks he can do anything. At least he wants to try. He is very sure he can succeed. But often he fails. The expression was born in the [A]military[/A] forces. A hot shot was a [A]soldier[/A] who fired without aiming [A]carefully[/A].
Hot is a word that is often used to talk about anger.
A person who becomes [A]angry[/A] easily is called a hothead. An angry person's neck often becomes red. We say he is hot under the collar. You could say that your friend is no [A]hothead[/A]. But he got hot under the collar when someone took his radio.
In nineteen sixty-three, hot line appeared as a new expression.
The hot line was a direct [A]communications[/A] link between the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States. The hot line had an [A]important[/A] purpose: to prevent accidental war between the two [A]competitors[/A] during the period known as the Cold War. The American [A]president[/A] and the Soviet leader were able to communicate directly and [A]immediately[/A] on the hot line. This helped prevent any conflict during an [A]international[/A] crisis.
