(~ter, ~test, ~s, ~ting, ~ted)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
Something that is ~ has a high temperature.
When the oil is ~, add the sliced onion...
What he needed was a ~ bath and a good sleep...
? cold, cool
ADJ
2.
Hot is used to describe the weather or the air in a room or building when the temperature is high.
It was too ~ even for a gentle stroll...
It was a ~, humid summer day...
? chilly, cold
ADJ
3.
If you are ~, you feel as if your body is at an unpleasantly high temperature.
I was too ~ and tired to eat more than a few mouthfuls...
? cold
ADJ: usu v-link ADJ
4.
You can say that food is ~ when it has a strong, burning taste caused by chillies, pepper, or ginger.
...~ curries.
...a dish that’s spicy but not too ~.
= spicy
? mild
ADJ
5.
A ~ issue or topic is one that is very important at the present time and is receiving a lot of publicity. (JOURNALISM)
The role of women in war has been a ~ topic of debate in America since the Gulf conflict.
ADJ: usu ADJ n
6.
Hot news is new, recent, and fresh. (INFORMAL)
...eight pages of the latest movies, video releases and the ~ news from Tinseltown.
ADJ: usu ADJ n
7.
You can use ~ to describe something that is very exciting and that many people want to see, use, obtain, or become involved with. (INFORMAL)
The ~test show in town was the Monet Exhibition at the Art Institute...
ADJ: usu ADJ n
8.
You can use ~ to describe something that no one wants to deal with, often because it has been illegally obtained and is very valuable or famous. (INFORMAL)
If too much publicity is given to the theft of important works, the works will become too ~ to handle and be destroyed.
ADJ: usu v-link ADJ
9.
You can describe a situation that is created by a person’s behaviour or attitude as ~ when it is unpleasant and difficult to deal with. (INFORMAL)
When the streets get too ~ for them, they head south in one stolen car after another.
ADJ: usu v-link ADJ
10.
A ~ contest is one that is intense and involves a great deal of activity and determination. (INFORMAL)
It took ~ competition from abroad, however, to show us just how good Scottish cashmere really is.
= fierce
ADJ: usu ADJ n
11.
If a person or team is the ~ favourite, people think that they are the one most likely to win a race or competition.
Atlantic City is the ~ favourite to stage the fight.
ADJ: ADJ n
12.
Someone who has a ~ temper gets angry very quickly and easily.
His ~ temper was making it increasingly difficult for others to work with him.
ADJ: usu ADJ n
see also ~-tempered
13.
If someone blows ~ and cold, they keep changing their attitude towards something, sometimes being very enthusiastic and at other times expressing no interest at all.
The media, meanwhile, has blown ~ and cold on the affair.
PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR on/over/about n
14.
If you are ~ and bothered, you are so worried and anxious that you cannot think clearly or behave sensibly.
Ray was getting very ~ and bothered about the idea.
PHRASE: v-link PHR, oft PHR about n
15.
If you say that one person has the ~s for another, you mean that they feel a strong sexual attraction to that person. (INFORMAL)
I’ve had the ~s for him ever since he came to college.
PHRASE: V inflects