hot potato
The term "hot potato" can refer to both a popular party game and a metaphor for a sensitive or controversial issue that people avoid handling.
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Definition
B2Idiomatic Expression
(informal)A sensitive or controversial issue that people avoid dealing with due to its potential for causing trouble.
Example
- The topic of climate change can be a political hot potato.
A2Game
(informal)A game where players pass an object around while music plays, and the player holding it when the music stops is eliminated.
Example
- The children enjoyed playing hot potato at the birthday party.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "hot potato":
hot handhot buttonpass the parcelhog potatowild potatohot seatpotato paradoxmash potatohot pot