have the hots for
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Find attractive.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
You had the hots for me, Robyn; why don't you just come right out and admit it?
‘ I don't know how serious they are, but Warren and Madonna certainty had the hots for one another.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “have the hots for” mean?
Find attractive.
Is “have the hots for” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.