Definition

1. Noun:
   • A difficult, dangerous, or embarrassing situation; a predicament: The phrase "hot water" is an idiomatic expression meaning to be in trouble or facing serious consequences, often due to one's own actions or words.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • His careless comments landed him in hot water with his boss. (His thoughtless remarks caused him to be in serious trouble with his superior.)
  • The company found itself in hot water after the scandal was exposed. (The company faced a difficult and damaging situation following the revelation of the scandal.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be in hot water": This is the primary and most common usage of the idiom. It means to be in trouble or a difficult situation.
  • She knew she would be in hot water if she missed the deadline again.
• "to get into hot water": This variant emphasizes the action of entering the troublesome situation.
  • He always gets into hot water for speaking without thinking.
• "to land in hot water": Similar to "get into," this phrasing highlights the result of an action that leads to trouble.
  • The leaked email landed the entire department in hot water.

Variants and Related Words

• Predicament (n): A difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situation.
  • Finding a solution to this predicament won't be easy.
• Plight (n): A dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation.
  • The documentary highlighted the plight of the refugees.

Synonyms

• Trouble: A state of distress, annoyance, or difficulty.
• A fix: An awkward or difficult situation.
• A jam: An awkward situation or predicament (informal).
• A scrape: An awkward or embarrassing predicament.

Related Phrases

• "Out of the frying pan and into the fire": This idiom describes moving from a bad situation to one that is even worse. It shares a thematic connection with escalating trouble, similar to the discomfort implied by "hot water."
• "In deep water": Another idiom meaning in a difficult or serious situation, often with a sense of being overwhelmed.

Notes on Usage

• **"Hot water" as an idiom is almost always used with prepositions like "in," "into," or "land in." It is rarely used in a literal sense (meaning heated water) within this idiomatic context.
• The idiom is informal but common in both spoken and written English.
• The distress implied by "hot water" can range from mild social embarrassment to severe professional or legal consequences.

Noun

1. a dangerous or distressing predicament
   • his views on race got him into political hot water