hot number

Idioms  

1. Also, hot stuff. Someone or something that is currently popular or fashionable; also, someone or something unconventional or daring. For example, That new song is going to be a hot number, or He really thinks he's hot stuff. These slangy expressions use hot in the sense of “recent” or “fresh,” a usage dating from the 1300s, although hot stuff dates from the 1700s and hot number from about 1900.

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Example Sentences

But their calculations have been volatile in recent months, and a surprisingly hot number could cause a shift in thinking once again.

From New York Times • Nov. 27, 2024

"While it appears to be a hot number on the actual number of people employed, the wage rate is not increasing as fast."

From Reuters • Jun. 2, 2023

Economists will pore over the release of eurozone consumer price data: A hot number could force the European Central Bank to more aggressively raise interest rates later in the week.

From New York Times • May 1, 2023

"If it were a hot number, that would have probably driven the markets lower ... but this number kind of shows that the lagging effects of raising interest rates are working."

From Reuters • Mar. 14, 2023

Once a footnote in any pop history of the decade, she is now the summer's hot number.

From Time Magazine Archive

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