View synonyms for hot water

hot water

noun

, Informal.

trouble; a predicament:
His skipping classes will get him into real hot water when exam time comes.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of hot water¹

First recorded in 1530–40

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Idioms and Phrases

Trouble or difficulty, as in She's deep in political hot water , or We got in hot water over the car deal , or He's finally paid his tuition and is out of hot water with the school . This metaphoric term alludes to water hot enough to burn one. [First half of 1500s] Also see in trouble with .

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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