Every time you add a new idiom to your vocabulary, you improve your use of the English language. Don’t worry; you don’t have to learn millions of expressions all at once. It would be better if you were consistent in understanding these words to improve your vocabulary.
“To be in hot water” means to be in trouble or a challenging situation. It is when people criticize you and also when they punish you for things you did wrong. This phrase is a widespread idiom used in the United States and is part of people’s everyday conversations.
Another meaning to this expression is to be in a worrying situation with another person. People also use it when someone feels embarrassed to confront an elder.
The Origin Of The Expression “In Hot Water”
Searching for the origin of an idiom is always complicated. In most cases, there are no reliable sources to confirm its history. One can only listen to these stories and treat them as cute anecdotes that no one knows if they are true or not.
In the case of “In hot water,” we have found several stories of its origin, some simpler and others more detailed. Below we will review some of them.
Origin In The 16th Century
This version says that “In hot water” originated in the 16th century. This story tells of someone cooking something and spilling it is sure to be in trouble. There was an old custom where people would throw hot water on intruders to scare them away, hence “In hot water.”
Throwing hot water made people run away from other people who had hot water unless it was for a bath.
The Origin In The Trial Of Criminal Defendants
People believed this originated in the XVI century. At that time, the rulers sent the accused to trial to find out if they were guilty or innocent.
The accused went through to undergo painful or unpleasant and risky experiences. It was a test of life or death, and what proved the accused’s innocence was to survive this danger. In some instances, the accused was innocent when his wounds healed.
The texts of King Athelstan collected the details of these trials. The books said that the water for the punishment of the accused had to be about to boil. There were three case scenarios:
- If the accused had committed a minor crime, they would pour boiling water on his hand.
- When the offenses were more serious, the judges would pour hot water on his face.
- The judges considered treason and repeat offenses to be serious offenses.
These tests were standard in the churches with spectators of the people. They would do a prayer ritual so that the truth would come out.
The executioner wet the accused’s hand with hot water, tied it, and after three days checked his hand. If the wounds were all right, the defendant was innocent; if not, he was guilty of the crime committed.
The Origin In The Kitchen
Between the 16th and 17th century the main meal of the people was stew. Potage was a stew made with hot water, vegetables, and cereals. After a while, the cooks added meat or fish when they had some.
This stew was always hot in a pot over the fire, and when people ate it, the cook added more hot water to the casserole.
It used to happen that thieves would break into houses to steal food from the refrigerator. At that time, the cook would pour hot water from the stew to scare them away.
Other Possible Origins
The expression “In hot water” is also found in the work of some ancient authors. These authors used this idiom to say that someone was in serious trouble.
Some references to this usage are:
- In 1593 author G. Peele used “In hot water” in his book Edward 1
- In 1650 author T. Hooker used it in his book The Soules Humiliation
- In 1654 author E. Gayton included it in his book Pleasant Notes Upon Don Quixote
How People Use The Phrase “In Hot Water”
We have seen that this phrase could come from the old custom of pouring hot water on enemies. Everyone understood that the hot water would get them in trouble, and they would run away.
But why, if that custom does not exist, do we continue to use the expression to say that we are in trouble?
Despite passing time, the phrase persevered and remained in our lives.
We could use this expression after a verb to describe a person’s situation. You can also use “with + person” to say that someone is angry at another person. We use the expression “In hot water” in many situations, such as the ones we will mention below:
- We are in severe trouble.
- It was our fault that we got into this situation. Additionally, you can use it if the problem arises from circumstances beyond our control.
- There is a problem I can’t resolve.
- Someone breaks a rule; it’s an excellent time to use this phrase
- My problem is too deep for me to handle
- When we refer to a target that has not been reached
- Someone gets in trouble for their incorrect remarks
- Someone doesn’t even know how they got so messed up in a situation
- To say that we will be in trouble if someone finds out what we are doing
Some Case Scenarios
- A person breaks the law and has to face the police
- A little girl has gotten into trouble with her parents because of a prank
- People often use to say that a child is in trouble because of something he or she has done
- As an innocent person, I find myself in a difficult position
- Someone has a mishap in the middle of a trip
- Suppose someone can’t leave a foreign country because they are in trouble. It also applies if you lose your wallet or passport.
- I invest a lot of money in stocks, and I don’t know anything about it
- We also use it to say that if we are late to a place because of traffic, we could be in trouble
- I say that if the competition lowers prices, I will be in serious trouble
- I make a false step
- To talk about or give different cooking recipes that have hot water in them
- To talk about politicians who are always getting into trouble
- People use it to threaten someone to put them in trouble
- A bad deal doesn’t leave you in a horrible position
- To say that a person is not afraid of getting into trouble
In The Workplace
- A company is at risk due to bad decisions
- To say that an organization’s financial statements are in a terrible way
- Bosses at work may use this phrase if someone is always very late
- To say that we will be in trouble if we don’t get a loan from the bank
- I say that if the competition lowers prices, I will be in serious trouble
- We say that someone has not proven their worth until they are in serious trouble
What Words Could Be Synonyms For “In Hot Water”?
Some of the top words that can be like “In hot water” are:
- Deepwater: a very difficult or embarrassing situation.
- Trouble: a problem or difficulty or something that contributes to that situation.
- Hole: an uncomfortable situation or predicament.
- Quagmire: a position that can be dangerous or conflictive. A difficult or precarious situation.
- Bind: a restrictive or difficult situation, an impasse.
- Hot spot: is a point where harmful actions or hostile actions may occur.
- Pickle: an uncomfortable or complicated situation.
- Difficult: is something that is not easy to do, achieve or solve. It is an obstacle that prevents the achievement of a goal.
- Plight: a dangerous and unfortunate moment or situation.
- Jam: to be in the middle of an intense or difficult situation, predicament.
Examples Of The Use Of The Phrase “In Hot Water” In Everyday Sentences
So far, we have examined the phrase “In hot water” from many angles.
We defined the phrase and took a walk through its origin, stories, and anecdotes. We also listed many of its uses in everyday life and checked its main synonyms.
Now we will complete this review with some practical examples of this expression.
- I’m in hot water with my boss over all the backlog of work
- If you don’t make the right decision, you can be in hot water
- Every word he said put him more in hot water; I don’t know how he will get out of this situation
- I hope my sales forecast comes true. Otherwise, I will be in hot water.
More English Idioms
A Final Thought On “In Hot Water”
The phrase “In hot water” expresses a problematic situation that we all may be in at some point. It is an expression that, although it is straightforward to use in our daily conversations. It also offers different twists of meaning that make it a very relevant phrase today.
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.