red-hot
[adjective red-hot; noun red-hot]
- red with heat; very hot.
- creating much excitement, demand, or discussion: The new toy robot is a red-hot item this Christmas.
- violent; furious: red-hot anger.
- characterized by intense excitement, enthusiasm, or passion.
- very fresh or new; most recent: red-hot tips on the stock market.
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- a person who has great fervor or intensity, as for a goal or cause.
- Informal. a hot dog.
- a small cinnamon-flavored candy.
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Origin of red-hot
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for red-hot
Contemporary Examples
Woods were shredded, the earth trembled and the ground exploded in showers of stone and red-hot metal splinters.
Moral equivalence and malaise, rather than red-hot ideology, motivates Haydon.
Iran’s Top Spy Is the Modern-Day Karla, John Le Carré’s Villainous MastermindMichael Weiss
July 2, 2014
He broke three of her ribs with an umbrella and on another occasion hit her with a red-hot poker.
Designer Frida Giannini let the collection scream not-so-subtle sexuality, with florescent pinks, silk and red-hot silhouettes.
Despite his red-hot debate showings—and a retroactive win in Iowa—Senator Sweatervest was basically a nonfactor in Florida.
Historical Examples
His own skin had sizzled under the red-hot brand, he murmured softly.
The Secret AgentJoseph Conrad
He could have moved it now for nothing short of a gimlet or a red-hot wire.
Life And Adventures Of Martin ChuzzlewitCharles Dickens
A shower of red-hot stones warned him that he was near the volcano.
Classic MythsMary Catherine Judd
There was something in her that was red-hot, although she was now a middle-aged woman.
A Spirit in PrisonRobert Hichens
They talked of boxing Augustine's ears when they saw that the stove was red-hot.
L'AssommoirEmile Zola
red-hot
- (esp of metal) heated to the temperature at which it glows rediron is red-hot at about 500°C
- extremely hotthe stove is red-hot, so don't touch it
- keen, excited, or eager; enthusiastic
- furious; violentred-hot anger
- very recent or topicalred-hot information
- Australian slang extreme, unreasonable, or unfairthe charges are red-hot
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for red-hot
adj.
late 14c., "heated till it glows red" (of metal, etc.); of persons, "lively, passionate," it is recorded from c.1600. Red-hot mama is 1926, jazz slang, "earthy female singer," also "girlfriend, lover."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper