in hot water
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
In trouble; facing punishment or serious criticism.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Gặp rắc rối; đối mặt với hình phạt hoặc chỉ trích nghiêm trọng
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: Immersed in hot water.
How to use it
✓ Use it when
Describing someone facing consequences.
Register: informalConnotation: negativeEra: 18th century – present
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
He’s in hot water with the league over that post.
Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “in hot water” mean?
In trouble; facing punishment or serious criticism. Literally: Immersed in hot water.
Is “in hot water” formal or informal?
in hot water is generally informal; connotation: negative.