English Reference
Idiom idiom

hotter than a pistol


Exceptionally popular, productive, or marketable.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

That new singer is hotter than a pistol right now.

CONTEXTUAL

The company's new software is hotter than a pistol, with thousands of people downloading it every single day.

COMPLEX

Following the unexpected success of her debut novel, the young author found herself hotter than a pistol in the competitive world of international publishing.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    baking hot

    Very hot.

  2. 02

    blow hot air

    To engage in empty or exaggerated talk that lacks substance, credibility, or truth; to bluster.

  3. 03

    blow hot and cold

    To behave inconsistently; to vacillate or to waver, as between extremes of opinion or emotion.

  4. 04

    boiling hot

    Extremely hot (having a high temperature: of an object, the weather, a living creature).

  5. 05

    come in hot

    To enter the scene of conflict quickly and aggressively.

  6. 06

    full of hot air

    Talking a lot, especially without saying anything of value or meaning.

  7. 07

    hissing hot

    Very hot.

  8. 08

    hot air

    Empty, confused, or exaggerated talk lacking meaning or substance; bluster.

Last updated August 10, 2026