Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

blow hot and cold

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.37 in modern English

Syllables: blow hot and -cold
IPA

26

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

2

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To behave inconsistently; to vacillate or to waver, as between extremes of opinion or emotion.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"For a week, she couldn't get enough of me. The next week, her interest blew hot and cold, and a week later she dumped me."
"He blows hot and cold. He will speak for or against."
"Geminis, like air, blow hot and cold. They go this way today and another way tomorrow."
"The Xinhua commentary said that Chen "blows hot and cold, behaves capriciously and is a hard man to trust.""

Etymology

From Aesop's fable The Satyr and the Traveller, in which a satyr declares he cannot trust a man who blows hot (to warm his hands) and cold (to cool his food) with the same breath.

Usage

Intransitive verb

Inflected Forms

blows hot and cold (present, singular) blowing hot and cold (participle, present) blew hot and cold (past) blown hot and cold (participle, past)

Synonyms

run hot and cold suck and blow

Questions

What does blow hot and cold mean?: To behave inconsistently; to vacillate or to waver, as between extremes of opinion or emotion.
Where does blow hot and cold come from?: From Aesop's fable The Satyr and the Traveller, in which a satyr declares he cannot trust a man who blows hot (to warm his hands) and cold (to cool his food) with the same breath.

How to pronounce blow hot and cold

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “blow hot and cold”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “blow hot and cold”.
Repeat and practice — Say “blow hot and cold” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.