The thief left town because the city was too hot to hold.
too hot to hold
idiomA place that has too much police activity to harbor a fugitive unnoticed.
Origin
disputed origin"Hot" items are stolen goods.
After the police raided the warehouse, the gang realized the neighborhood was too hot to hold.
Realizing that the relentless investigation had rendered the entire region too hot to hold, the fugitive fled across the border under the cover of night.
- 01
apron-string hold
An estate held by a man during his wife's life.
- 02
baking hot
Very hot.
- 03
blow hot air
To engage in empty or exaggerated talk that lacks substance, credibility, or truth; to bluster.
- 04
blow hot and cold
To behave inconsistently; to vacillate or to waver, as between extremes of opinion or emotion.
- 05
boiling hot
Extremely hot (having a high temperature: of an object, the weather, a living creature).
- 06
buy and hold
A passive investment strategy where an investor purchases an asset and retains it for many years, rather than trading it frequently.
- 07
come in hot
To enter the scene of conflict quickly and aggressively.
- 08
don't hold your breath
Don't wait. Said cynically to suggest that what has just been mentioned is unlikely to happen soon or at all.
Last updated April 17, 2026