hot air

American  

noun

Informal.

1. empty, exaggerated, or pretentious talk or writing.

   His report on the company's progress was just so much hot air.

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hot air British  

noun

1. informal empty and usually boastful talk

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hot air Idioms  

1. Empty, exaggerated talk, as in That last speech of his was pure hot air. It is also put as full of hot air, as in Pay no attention to Howard—he's full of hot air. This metaphoric term transfers heated air to vaporous talk. [Late 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of hot air

1835–45 for literal sense

Example Sentences

Your sandals slap against the sidewalk as cars whoosh by, sending waves of hot air that hit you one after the other.

From Literature

A strong, slow-moving high-pressure system - often called a heat dome - is trapping hot air over the region, pushing temperatures 20–30F above normal in parts of California, Nevada, and Arizona.

From BBC

Was it a prescient warning or a bunch of hot air?

From The Wall Street Journal

I rinse the stain in the sink and wring out the fabric, and then I stand under the hand dryer, angling my body so the hot air hits the wet part.

From Literature

As hot air rises off the desert floor, cooler air pours down from above and funnels between the mountain ranges, sending unpredictable gusts sweeping across the tennis complex.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• wind