hotter than a pistol

English

Alternative forms

• hotter than a two dollar pistol

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Adjective

hotter than a pistol (comparative form only)

1. (set phrase) Very hot.
   • 2008, Dorothy Garlock, A Place Called Rainwater‎^[1], →ISBN:

     "Warm day out there on the highway. . . . It's only June. By the Fourth it'll be hotter than a pistol around here."

2. (idiomatic, chiefly US, Canada) Exceptionally popular, productive, or marketable.
   • 1988, Steve Turner, “Interview with Johnny Cash”, in The Man Called CASH, published 2005, →ISBN:

     "Carl Perkins and I were in Amory, Mississippi, with Elvis. Now Elvis, of course, was hotter than a pistol. He had his second record out."

   • 1993 September 12, Claudia H. Deutsch, “Commercial Property/Analyzing Trends”, in New York Times, retrieved 10 January 2018:

     Leasing activity is frenzied throughout Manhattan. . . . "Broadway is hotter than a pistol and you have to shoehorn your way into SoHo," reports Faith H. Consolo.

   • 2015 October 20, Norris McDonald, “Autos: Racing Roundup”, in The Star, Canada, retrieved 10 January 2018:

     Joey Logano, who's hotter than a pistol, won the NASCAR Chase race at Kansas Sunday.