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A hot potato

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A controversial or sensitive issue that people avoid dealing with due to its risky nature.

Detailed Definition
A hot potato signifies a problematic situation or topic too dangerous or contentious to handle comfortably, often passed along. Poetry leverages this to depict political tensions, moral dilemmas, or social taboos, using its tactile heat metaphor for urgency and discomfort. It enriches verses on responsibility, avoidance, and collective conscience, common in satirical or protest poetry. The idiom's everyday origin grounds abstract conflicts, allowing poets to critique societal evasion while evoking empathy for those burdened, illuminating power dynamics and ethical quandaries through vivid, relatable imagery.
Example
Example in poetry:
The political verse warns: "This scandal is a hot potato no candidate dares hold for long."; In dramatic monologue: "Racism stays a hot potato, passed between generations with burning hands."; Educational: "Poets use it for social taboos, creating tension around avoided truths in protest poetry."; "Climate denial remains a hot potato that melts resolve in heated debates."
Additional Notes
Emerging from hot food handling risks, this idiom adds urgency to political or social verse on taboos. Students benefit from examining its tactile heat for evoking discomfort in protest poetry. Tip: Use in dialogues to depict avoidance or passing responsibility, enriching commentary on ethics; connects to "elephant in the room" for exploring collective denial and moral dilemmas.
Also Known As
Thorny issue Sticky situation Controversial topic
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