Context #1: James is met at home by his angry
mother
Mother: You are in hot water, young man!
James: Why? What did I do?
Mother: You took the car without asking. Now you come home – and it’s 2:00 am! You didn’t call or tell me where you were!
James: But, Mom, I couldn’t tell you; I went to a SURPRISE party!
Mother: Well, surprise! You’re grounded!
James: Why? What did I do?
Mother: You took the car without asking. Now you come home – and it’s 2:00 am! You didn’t call or tell me where you were!
James: But, Mom, I couldn’t tell you; I went to a SURPRISE party!
Mother: Well, surprise! You’re grounded!
Context #2: Doreen and Tom are in school talking
about their classmate, Gina
Tom: Do you think the teacher notices?
Doreen: Oh yeah! Mrs. Lynch told Gina that she’d be in hot water if she missed another class.
Meaning: to be in trouble. “Hot water” is a bad situation. We have many idioms that connect “hot” things with difficult situations: “out of the frying pan and into the fire” and “feel the heat” are two others.
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Thanks a whole lot for sharing, guys ... Can't wait for more ... You're the best ...
ReplyDeleteCan we also use phrases like 'in a pickle' 'in a tight spot' and 'up the creek' in the same type of situation? (we often hear these expressions from our US peers when we chat with them online) ... Keep up the good work!
Russian ESL students
Moscow
Thanks! ;-) Yes, you can use them in the same type of situation.
ReplyDelete