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Glite Dictionary
🔥 Under pressure ⚡ An electric chair
hot seat

hot seat

8.8
A chair that kills a person by electricity
  • noun
  • /hɑt sit/
  • NSFW
translation icon : silla eléctrica
  • Debates about the morality of the hot seat continue to this day.

Examples

  • The prisoner was strapped into the hot seat.

  • The hot seat is a controversial method of execution.

  • Many states have retired the use of the hot seat in recent years.

  • The convicted killer was sentenced to die in the hot seat.

  • The convict was strapped into the hot seat before the execution began.

  • After being found guilty, he knew he would face the hot seat during his execution.

  • The infamous criminal was sentenced to the hot seat for his crimes.

Synonyms

chair
vshot seat
  • NSFW
73 9.9

A seat used to kill a person with electricity

describes the same execution method without mentioning appearance
electric chair
vshot seat
  • NSFW
47 5.3

A chair used to put a person to death by sending electricity through their body

is the same device described by an alternative label
death chair
vshot seat
  • NSFW
9.9

A chair used to kill a person with electricity

focuses on the electrocution method without stressing appearance

Surface Forms

hot seat singular
hot seats plural

Morphology

hot + seat

The meaning can be inferred by mapping 'hot' metaphorically to pressure or scrutiny and 'seat' to a position or office, so a learner who knows both words can plausibly guess 'a position under intense pressure.' However, the sense is a metaphorical extension (and could be misread as a physically hot chair), so it is not fully predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Hot seat first meant the 'electric chair' used for executions because the chair could get very hot from the electricity, and people pictured a burning hot seat, so that image became the name.