hot mic

or hot mike

[ hot mahyk ]

noun

, Informal.

1. a microphone that is actively recording or broadcasting, especially if it captures a comment or conversation that the speaker or speakers believed to be private (often used attributively): The reporter was suspended after her profanity was caught on a hot mic.

   The techs should limit the number of hot mics to reduce acoustic feedback.

   The reporter was suspended after her profanity was caught on a hot mic.

   Their hot mic scheming confirmed the conspiracy theories.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hot mic¹

1930–35; hot (in the sense “actively conducting an electric current”) + mic “microphone”

Example Sentences

Caught by a hot mic, he mentioned his latest golf conquest—a 67—to which Biden responded with a polite "That's incredible."

From The Daily Beast

Hillary Clinton Fails to Recall the ‘Hot Mic’ Rule You have to sympathize with the secretary of state.

From The Daily Beast