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Glite Dictionary
to run hot and cold

to run hot and cold

1 8.1
To feel very excited about something and then lose interest often
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : cambiar de opinión
  • If you notice her emotions are running hot and cold, it might be best to give her some space.

Examples

  • "Your appetites appear to run hot and cold."

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Sarah... she ran hot and cold.

    The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009)

  • Talk about running hot and cold.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • I ran hot and cold on his sickness.

    Academic text (1991)

  • And when she saw the black Mercedes roll up in front of the large windows, her blood ran hot and cold.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • HuffPo is all over the map editorially (as is the site owner), so I don't think of them as moving hearts and minds very much; they run hot and cold on people so often.

    Blog text (11)

  • His enthusiasm for the project often runs hot and cold, making it hard to rely on him.

  • During the meeting, her opinions ran hot and cold, confusing everyone about her true stance.

Synonyms

to swing
vsto run hot and cold
37 2.8

Change quickly and suddenly from one state to another

is similar but focuses on unpredictable frequent changes rather than speed
to oscillate
vsto run hot and cold
3 7.4

Change repeatedly between different opinions or choices

is more about unpredictable shifts between extremes rather than steady back and forth
to blow hot and cold
vsto run hot and cold
  • Informal
1 8.4

To change your feelings or opinion often and without warning

is the same idea but uses a different idiomatic phrasing

Antonyms

stable
473 2.3

Not likely to change and stays steady over time

steady
304 2.0

Not changing over time and remaining the same

How Changeable

to run hot and cold
  • Informal
1 8.1
to fluctuate
52 6.3
to vary
239 2.5

Surface Forms

run hot and cold infinitive
running hot and cold present participle
runs hot and cold third person singular
ran hot and cold past
run hot and cold past participle

Morphology

run + hot + and + cold

The phrase composes transparently as 'run' (be in a state) + 'hot and cold' (two opposite states), so a learner who knows the words can infer it means alternating between warmth/enthusiasm and coldness/aloofness. However, the use is a metaphorical mapping from temperature to feeling and includes the nuance of frequent or unpredictable fluctuation that may not be fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Run hot and cold gives a picture of someone or something that becomes hot (very excited) and then cold (distant), like an engine that warms up and then cools down. So it means 'to change often and quickly in feeling or attitude'.