piping hot
Very hot.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The soup is piping hot, so be careful.”
“You should drink your coffee while it is piping hot.”
“Be careful because the bath water is piping hot.”
“The waiter brought the pizza to our table while it was still piping hot.”
“I had to wait a few minutes before eating because the apple pie was still piping hot from the oven.”
“The baker places the piping hot loaves of bread on the cooling rack every morning at dawn.”
“The mechanic warned me not to touch the engine parts because they were still piping hot after the long drive across the desert.”
“She served the tea piping hot, its steam rising into the cold morning air as they sat down to discuss the day.”
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 http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/2383 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
- 01
baking hot
Very hot.
- 02
blow hot air
To engage in empty or exaggerated talk that lacks substance, credibility, or truth; to bluster.
- 03
blow hot and cold
To behave inconsistently; to vacillate or to waver, as between extremes of opinion or emotion.
- 04
boiling hot
Extremely hot (having a high temperature: of an object, the weather, a living creature).
- 05
come in hot
To enter the scene of conflict quickly and aggressively.
- 06
full of hot air
Talking a lot, especially without saying anything of value or meaning.
- 07
hissing hot
Very hot.
- 08
hot air
Empty, confused, or exaggerated talk lacking meaning or substance; bluster.
Last updated August 10, 2026