Meaning of Idiom ‘Hot Under the Collar’
To be hot under the collar means to be angry, resentful, agitated, or embarassed. 1Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms]. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.,2McCarthy, Michael. Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms. Cambridge University Press, 2002.,3Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
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Sentence Examples
“When we confronted him with the accusation, he got pretty hot under the collar, but he didn’t really offer any defense.”
“It’s just a simple disagreement. You don’t have to get so hot under the collar.”
“Members of the House of Representatives today were obviously quite hot under the collar about the racist comments made by one of their own.”
“Hey, Mike, you got a call, it’s your wife. She’s gotta little problem at the day-care center.” “Uh-oh! Is she hot under the collar?” — Storm of the Century (1999)
“I get hot under the collar when someone tells me how to run my business.” — Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)
“The Lord has given us a warm day on which I have decided to address a subject that has made a great number of us hot under the collar, a couple of whom, shockingly, are in the ministry.” — The Client List (2010)
“You’re making too much out of this, Horace. They’re a little hot under the collar, but they’ll calm down.” — Broken Lance (1954)
“Listen, he’s a good kid. He just gets a little hot under the collar.” — El Accidente (2006)
“Today on TMZ. Rene Russo got a little hot under the collar when we caught up with her outside her home.” Family Guy: Peter-assment (2010)
“I don’t know why you’re getting so hot under the collar. He’s only a grubby little chauffeur.” — Downton Abbey: Episode #3.1 (2012)
“Again? How did you guys find me? You know what, normally, I’d be hot under the collar. But I have to admit, I’m a sucker for a couple of familiar faces.” Psych: One, Maybe Two, Ways Out (2010)
“What is it about this Kyle fellow that’s got you so hot under the collar?” — Ectogenesis (2015)
Hot Under the Collar Origin
Used since around 1900.
The word collar in this idiom refers to the part of a piece of clothing that goes around the neck so that the idiom alludes to one’s neck feeling hot with anger or embarrassment, or generally to the heat of anger.
The following example is from a cartoon in the Sunday edition of Evening Star, June 09, 1907:
More Idioms Starting with H
More Collar Idioms
More Hot Idioms
More Under Idioms
- Throw Someone Under the Bus
- Water Under The Bridge
- Under the Table
- Under the Impression
- Under the Aegis Of Someone
Sources
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