piping hot

English

WOTD – 20 December 2007

Etymology

From Middle English. First attested circa second half of 14th century, from the similarity between the sizzling sound of food cooking in a frying pan and that of musical pipes, from Canterbury Tales [1] by Geoffrey Chaucer:

"He singeth brokking¹ as a nightingale. / He sent her piment, mead, and spiced ale, / And wafers² piping hot out of the glede³: / And, for she was of town, he proffer'd meed."

¹ quavering, ² cakes, ³ coals

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌpaɪ.pɪŋ ˈhɒt/
• (General American) enPR: pīʹpĭng hŏt, IPA^(key): /ˌpaɪpɪŋ ˈhɑt/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒt

Adjective

piping hot (not comparable)

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see piping,‎ hot: very hot in a way that involves sizzling, crackling, or similar noises.

   Synonym: hissing hot

   Antonyms: freezing cold, freezing, ice-cold, icy; see also Thesaurus:cold

   Hypernym: hot

   Coordinate term: smoking hot

   Near-synonyms: boiling hot, scalding hot, steaming hot, steaming, baking hot; see also Thesaurus:hot

   Don't touch the pie! It's piping hot, straight out of the oven.

4. (idiomatic, loosely) Very hot.

   Synonyms: hissing hot, boiling hot, scalding hot, smoking hot, steaming hot, steaming; see also Thesaurus:hot

   Antonyms: freezing cold, freezing, ice-cold, icy; see also Thesaurus:cold

   Hypernym: hot

   Watch out — that curling iron is still piping hot.

   • 1909, George Melville Baker, Pieces People Ask For, A Lesson to Lovers:

     You will see that my breakfast is piping hot,
     And rub the clothes to a snowy whiteness

   • 1942, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Home Economics, Foods and Nutrition Division, Meat for Thrifty Meals:

     Cook until tender in a moderate oven (350° F.)—allow about 2½ hours. Turn occasionally for even cooking. Remove the strings before serving. Serve piping hot with gravy made from the pan drippings, or chill and serve cold.

Translations

very hot

• French: brûlant (fr)
• German: glühend heiß
• Hebrew: לוֹהֵט (he) m (lohét)
• Hungarian: tűzforró (hu)
• Italian: bollente (it)
• Polish: wrzący m
• Portuguese: pelando (pt)
• Russian: горячо (ru) (gorjačo)
• Swedish: stekhet (sv), brännhet (sv), skållhet (sv)
• Vietnamese: nóng hổi (vi), nóng hôi hổi

Anagrams

• hot piping