hot potato
a hot potato
Meaning
- any subject which several folks are talking about and which is frequently argued
- something that is hard or terrible to handle
- a problem or situation that is difficult to deal with and causes a lot of disagreement
- an issue or question about which people have different opinions and feel very strongly
- a controversial situation that is awkward to deal with
- a delicate or contentious matter which many people do not want to talk about
Example Sentences
- The issue of gun control is a political hot potato in the United States.
- The legality of abortion is a hot potato in many countries around the world.
- I never discuss about anyone’s religion, it can be a hot potato.
- The party members are not speaking on this topic as it is a political hot potato.
- The government’s decision to curb benefits to some sections of society is like a hot potato.
Origin
The term originated in the mid 1800s and is derived from the slightly older term “to drop like a hot potato”, meaning “to abandon something or someone quickly”. It alludes to the fact that cooked potatoes retain considerable heat because they contain a lot of water.
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9 Comments
This was helpful for my project.
Thank your for your help.
Hello,
You did a great job, which is really helpful for others.I hope you will not mind if tell you a new word. In your above examples, you wrote discuss about, but we never use discuss about.
Discuss = Talk about
And
Discuss about = Talk about about
So we can simply say discuss or we can say talk about.
Hello Manal,
More formal ways of saying: It’s a hot potato, are:
Is there is any other idiom that is equal to the meaning of hot potato but formal?
This was very helpful for my project.
Hmm…. Ram Rahim topic is really like a hot potato in India.
Could I say ” no way, I won’t talk to the boss about the pay rise; are you trying to pass me the hot potato?
Grateful of you.
Hi this was really helpful.