hot seat

noun

, Slang.

1. electric chair.
2. a highly uncomfortable or embarrassing situation:

   I'm in the hot seat because of the contract I lost.

hot seat

noun

1. informal.
   a precarious, difficult, or dangerous position
2. See electric chair
   a slang term for electric chair

Word History and Origins

Origin of hot seat¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Tenev shared the hot seat with some of his fellow witnesses.

From Washington Post

If that happens, McVay — who’s been so hot he already has a “coaching tree” at age 35 — might be on the hot seat.

From FiveThirtyEight

Around the NFLWe knew Doug Pederson was on the hot seat, but things appeared okay after no change was made last week.

From Washington Post

Cumulus and other broadcast companies “recognize they’re in the hot seat right now because the national eye is on them,” he said.

From Washington Post

Barrett’s argument was a little hard to follow, which is relevant in that she could soon be taking the hot seat at confirmation hearings and facing some very difficult questions, but these comments are being misconstrued.

From Washington Post

When 239 people disappear on an airliner, who takes the hot seat?

From The Daily Beast

Ebony magazine finds itself in the hot seat for a series of covers dedicated to slain teenager Trayvon Martin.

From The Daily Beast

From her all-purple days to putting a novelist on the hot seat, a look at the early days of a trailblazer.

From The Daily Beast

While the Murdochs were busy testifying at the Leveson Inquiry, a very different media figure was in the hot seat: Russell Brand.

From The Daily Beast

Say no to drugs kids: Barbara Walters did her best to put Lady Gaga in the hot seat, pressing intently on her past drug use.

From The Daily Beast

And he wanted it to look like he was on the hot seat and he would be there unless I came down to help him.

From Project Gutenberg

"The Hot Seat" had set some sort of record, not only for Broadway longevity, but for audience frenzy.

From Project Gutenberg

Shaking his head over this flimsy structure of logic, he headed down to "The Hot Seat."

From Project Gutenberg

Mosby grunted deep disgust, looked over his shoulder toward the hot seat, looked again at Bennington.

From Project Gutenberg

"I really didn't expect you to get tickets for 'The Hot Seat,'" she said.

From Project Gutenberg