three hots and a cot
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Rhyming expression from the idea of three hot meals daily and a bed to sleep on.
Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
[edit]three hots and a cot (uncountable)
- (slang) Prison.
- 1996 January 29, Unknown, “JUST FOLKS
Homeless man who went on-line jailed on charge of stealing batteries”, in Sarasota Herald-Tribune[1]:- “I've never been to jail before,” [Neal] said. “But there is a bright side: three hots and a cot at taxpayer expense.”
- (slang) Basic food and shelter.
- 1987 February 28, Jay Mathews, “Homeless Shelter Officials Differ on Problem’s Scope, Nature”, in The Washington Post[2], archived from the original on 2023-02-22:
- It is, said the Rev. Eugene Boutilier, emergency services issues manager for the United Way, an important part of the mix of services that better-endowed cities are trying to provide to street people. "We need more than just three hots and a cot," he said.
- 2009 May 10, David Streitfeld, “The Recession Made Them Do It”, in The New York Times[3], archived from the original on 2022-10-11:
- The voluntary prisoner in search of "three hots and a cot" is a persistent figure in American popular culture.
- 2015 September 25, Sam Thielman, “New York City owes homeless aid organization $2.5m in unpaid funds”, in The Guardian[4], archived from the original on 2020-11-08:
- Doe raises the necessary money for its residents' wages; the city provides the money for "three hots and a cot".
Further reading
[edit]- “three hots and a cot n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present