hot dog
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hot dog
,hot 'dog¹ /'hɒtˌdɒg || 'hɑːtˌdɑːg/ n a cooked
FRANKFURTER or other SAU-
SAGE in a long bread ROLL.
In the US hot dogs and HAM-
BURGERS are considered to
be very American foods and
are very popular.
hot dog² v -gg- [I] AmE infml
to do dangerous or exciting
tricks or movements in
sports such as SKIING or SNOWBOARDING: skiers hot dogging
down the slopes
ho·tel /həu'tel/ n a building that provides rooms for people to
stay in (usually for a short time) and usually also meals, in
return for payment. Hotels are usually more expensive to stay
in than GUESTHOUSES or BED AND BREAKFASTS but offer a
higher standard of comfort. → compare HOSTEL; see INN
(USAGE)
ho·tel·i·er /həu'telieɪ, -liə/ n a person who owns and/or
runs a hotel
,hot 'flush especially BrE || usually hot flash AmE — n a sudden
feeling of heat in the skin, especially as experienced by
women at the MENOPAUSE (=the time when they stop being
able to bear children)
hot-foot¹ /ˌhɒtˈfʊt || ˈhɑːtfʊt/ adv infml moving quickly and
eagerly: We ran hotfoot to find out the news.
hotfoot² v hotfoot it infml to move fast: We hotfooted it down
the street.
hot-head /'hɒthed||'hɑːt-/ n 1 a person who does things too
quickly, without thinking 2 a person who gets angry easily
→-ed /ˌhɒtˈhedɪd || ˌhɑt-/ adj →-edly adv
hot-house /'hɒthaus||'hɑːt-/ n pl. -houses /'hauzɪz/ 1 a
warm building where flowers and delicate plants can grow; a
GREENHOUSE, especially a large one 2 a place or situation in
which people are excited and discuss many ideas and
activities, and which encourages other people to do the
same: Vienna was a hothouse of artistic activity.
'hot key n one or more keys that you can press on a computer
KEYBOARD to make the computer quickly do a particular set
of actions
'hot line n 1 a direct telephone line between heads of
government, to be used at times of great difficulty, especially
when war is threatened. 2 a telephone line that can be used
for a particular purpose, especially for making inquiries: The
police have set up a hot line for relatives to contact about the
plane crash.
hot·ly /'hɒtli||'hɑːtli/ adv 1 with anger or other strong feel-
ings: The rumour was hotly denied. | a hotly-debated
issue 2 closely and eagerly (often in the phrase hotly pur-
sued)
Hot-mail /'hɒtmeɪl||'hɑːt-/ trademark an email service that
allows you to read and write emails by using a Web BROWSER
on the Internet. Hotmail is owned by the Microsoft CORPO-
RATION.
'hot pad n AmE a POTHOLDER
hot-plate /'hɒtpleɪt||'hɑːt-/ n a metal surface, usually on an
electric cooker, which can be heated and on which food can
be cooked in a pan → see COOK¹ (USAGE)
Hot-point /'hɒtpɔɪnt||'hɑːt-/ trademark a BRAND (=type) of
electrical products such as REFRIGERATORS and WASHING
MACHINES made by the company Hotpoint
hot-pot /'hɒtpɒt||'hɑːtpɑːt/ n [C,U] a mixture of MUTTON
(=sheep meat), potatoes, and onions, cooked slowly in a pot,
which is eaten especially in the north of England: Lanca-
shire hotpot
,hot po'tato n infml something difficult or dangerous to deal
with: a political hot potato
'hot rod n slang, especially AmE an old car rebuilt for high speed
rather than appearance → compare STOCKCAR
hots /hɒts||hɑːts/ n slang have/get the hots for to have a
strong sexual interest in: She could tell he had the hots for her.
'hot seat n [the] 1 infml a position of difficulty from which
one must make important decisions, answer difficult ques-
tions etc: As chief accountant for the firm, she's in the hot
seat. 2 AmE slang an ELECTRIC CHAIR used in prisons to kill
prisoners who have been given a death sentence
hot-shot /'hɒtʃɒt||'hɑːtʃɑːt/ adj AmE infml very successful,
confident, and showy: a hotshot young lawyer —hot shot n:
He thinks he's such a hot shot.
'hot spot n a place where there is likely to be much trouble
and perhaps war or unsettled government
,hot 'stuff n [U] infml 1 someone or something of great ability
or very good quality 2 someone or something exciting or
dangerous, especially sexually
,hot-'tempered adj having a readiness to become angry
quickly and easily; quick-tempered
,hot 'ticket n AmE infml a fashionable or very popular person
whom everyone wants to see: Julia Roberts seems to be this
year's hot ticket.
hot-tie /'hɒti||'hɑːti/ n slang someone who is very sexually
attractive
'hot tub n a small, heated bath in which several people can sit
and which is often fitted with equipment to send JETS of
water into the bath, below the level of the bath water. Many
people think of hot tubs as only for people who love
pleasure.
,hot 'water n get into/be in hot water infml to get into/be in
a difficult situation: His gambling activities eventually got
him into hot water.
hot-'water bottle n a rubber container into which hot
water is put, and which is placed inside a bed to warm it →
see picture at BOTTLE
'hot-wire v [T] slang to start the engine of (a car or other
vehicle) without the key by using the wires of the IGNITION
system. This method is usually used by car thieves: Police
said that thieves had hot-wired the car.
Hou-di-ni, Harry /hu:'di:ni/ (1874-1926) a US MAGICIAN (=an
entertainer who performs magic tricks) and ESCAPOLOGIST,
who became famous for his great skill at escaping from
chains, HANDCUFFS, and locked containers, even when he was
under water
hou-mous, houmus, humus /'hʊmʊs, 'hju:-/ n HUMMUS
hound¹ /haund/ n 1 (often in comb.) a hunting dog, especially
one that uses smell in hunting: to ride to hounds (=hunt
foxes) → see also FOXHOUND, NEWSHOUND 2 old-fash a person
who is disliked and considered unpleasant
hound² v [T] to chase or worry continually; HARASS: I must
finish the work so my boss will stop hounding me. | He was
hounded out of public life by the persistent attacks of the
popular newspapers.
Hound of the Bas-ker-villes, The /ˌhaʊnd ɒv ðə
ˈbæskəvɪlz||-kər-/ (1902) a novel by Sir Arthur CONAN DOYLE
in which the DETECTIVE Sherlock HOLMES tries to find out
who is responsible for killing two people who seem to have
been attacked by a large hunting dog, but who have really
been murdered. Most of the story takes place in a wild, open
area of southwest England called DARTMOOR, and the loud,
long baying (BAY⁴) of a dog is often heard.
hour /aʊə/ n 1 a period of 60 minutes: There are 24 hours in
a day. | The journey takes about three hours. | a three-hour
journey | I'll be back in an hour/in an hour's time. | the
hours of darkness (=night time) | They are paid by the hour. |
We spent many happy hours together. | I've been waiting here
for hours. (=for a long time) 2 a time of day when a new
hour starts: The clock struck the hour. | The trains leave at five
minutes past the hour. | The attack began at sixteen hundred
hours/1600 hours. (=4 o'clock in the afternoon) 3 the dis-
tance travelled or work done in an hour: It's only an hour
away by car. 4 [often pl.] a fixed point or period of time,
especially one that is set aside for a particular purpose or
activity: I'll see you in my lunch hour. | During office hours I
can be contacted at this number. | the hospital's visiting
hours 5 an important moment or period: In my hour of
need (=when I needed help) no one helped me. | It was our
country's finest hour. (=a time giving cause for great pride
etc) | one of the burning (=important) questions of the hour
(=of the present time) 6 after hours later than the usual
times of work or business 7 at all hours (at any time)
during the whole day and night 8 (every hour) on the hour
at 1.00, 2.00, 3.00 etc 9 hour after hour continuously for
many hours: I waited at the airport hour after hour. 10 keep
late/regular etc hours to go to bed late/at regular times
etc 11 out of hours before or after the usual times 12 this