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hot hand

hot hand

2 6.8
A short time when someone keeps having success, often in games or sports
  • noun
translation icon : racha ganadora
  • During the last game, she had a hot hand and scored four three-pointers in a row.
  • got a hot hand

Examples

  • What matters this time of year is what team has the hot hand and is capable of functioning under the glare of the national spotlight.

    Blog text (7)
  • One of the girls has a hot hand and can't seem to make a wrong move.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • If that starter has a hot hand, you can ride him out.

    Blog text (7)
  • Who's got the hot hand?

  • Besides the Thunder finally finding the hot hand in overtime, the Thunder were able to gain a massive advantage at the line.

    Blog text (2)
  • Second, the depth also allows Turgeon to ride the hot hand depending on who's feeling it on any given night.

    Blog text (4)
  • I would have liked to see Karl ride his hot hand there... he typically does that with other guys, but McGee didn't get that chance.

    Blog text (12)
  • Time shared between Thole and Shoppach, and they will stick with the hot hand and play the percentages.

    Blog text (30)
  • Nate looked great tonight, so play the hot hand—not rocket science.

    Blog text (12)
  • After collecting on just 1 of 6 three-point attempts in YSU's 68-56 win at Georgia on Monday, Allen had the hot hand from behind the 3-point line.

    Blog text (25)

Antonyms

27 3.2

A series of games a player or team does not win

How Successful

on a roll
  • Informal
42 5.6
hot hand
2 6.8
good run
26 3.4
streak
149 4.3

Surface Forms

hot hand singular
hot hands plural

Morphology

hot + hand

The adjective 'hot' (doing well) signals success, so a learner who knows that sense will suspect the phrase refers to good performance; however, the noun 'hand' (often relating to cards or a turn) does not by itself make the idea of a sustained streak or period fully predictable. The expression is a metaphorical extension (from gambling/sports) and requires some idiomatic knowledge, so it is partially but not completely transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Hot hand comes from sports and games where a player or gambler felt their hand was very hot because every shot or bet kept working. That's why 'hot hand' means 'a streak of success'.