blow hot and cold en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
From Aesop's fable The Satyr and the Traveller, in which a satyr declares he cannot trust a man who blows hot (to warm his hands) and cold (to cool his food) with the same breath.
Meanings
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(idiomatic, intransitive) To behave inconsistently; to vacillate or to waver, as between extremes of opinion or emotion.
Geminis, like air, blow hot and cold. They go this way today and another way tomorrow.
1968 October 25, “A Goat, Twins and a Virgin”, in Time:For a week, she couldn't get enough of me. The next week, her interest blew hot and cold, and a week later she dumped me.
He blows hot and cold. He will speak for or against.
1852 July 1, “New-York University: Commencement Ceremonies-Anniversaries of the Literary Societies”, in New York Times:The Xinhua commentary said that Chen "blows hot and cold, behaves capriciously and is a hard man to trust."
2002 May 12, “China says DPP is only welcome if it changes platform”, in Taipei Times, retrieved 09 Jul 2008:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| blowing hot and cold | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| blows hot and cold | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| blown hot and cold | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| blew hot and cold | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Synonyms
run hot and cold · suck and blow
Translations (13)
de einmal hü und einmal hott sagen (inconsistent behavior) · la duabus sellis sedeo (inconsistent behavior) · fi oikkuilla (inconsistent behavior) · fr souffler le chaud et le froid (inconsistent behavior) · pl siedzieć jednym tyłkiem na dwóch stołkach (inconsistent behavior) · cmn 朝三暮四 (inconsistent behavior) · bg колебая се (inconsistent behavior) · ru семь пя́тниц на неде́ле у кого-либо (inconsistent behavior) · es una de cal y otra de arena (inconsistent behavior) · pl siedzieć na dwóch stołkach (inconsistent behavior) · fi ailahdella (inconsistent behavior) · is bera kápuna á báðum öxlum (inconsistent behavior) · pl Panu Bogu świeczkę i diabłu ogarek (inconsistent behavior)