Now,the VOA Special English program WORDS
AND THEIR STORIES.
Hot is a simple,easily understood word.
So are most ofthe expressions made with
the word hot.
But not always,
as we shall see.
The words hot potato,for example,
give you no idea at
all to the meaning of the expression,
hot potato.
The potato is a popular vegetable in
the United States
.Many people like baked potatoes,
cooked in an oven
or fire.Imagine trying to carry a hot,baked potato
in your hand.It would be difficult,even painful,
to do so.
Now we are getting close to the meaning of hot potato.
Some publicly disputed issues are highly emotional.
The issues must be treated carefully,or they will
be difficult and painful if an elected 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 politician.And yet,if taxes are not raised,
some very popular government 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 something.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 success.
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 military
forces.
A hot shot was a soldier who fired without
aiming carefully.
Hot is a word that is often used to talk about anger.
A person who becomes angry 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 hothead.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 communications link between
the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States.
The hot line had an important purpose:to prevent
accidental war between the two competitors during
the period known as the Cold War.The American president
and the Soviet leader were able to communicate
directly and immediately on the hot line.This helped
prevent any conflict during an international crisis.
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