three hots and a cot en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Rhyming expression from the idea of three hot meals daily and a bed to sleep on.
Meanings
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(slang, uncountable) Prison.
“I've never been to jail before,” [Neal] said. “But there is a bright side: three hots and a cot at taxpayer expense.”
1996 January 29, Unknown, “JUST FOLKS Homeless man who went on-line jailed on charge of stealing batteries”, in Sarasota Herald-Tribune:
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(slang, uncountable) Basic food and shelter.
Doe raises the necessary money for its residents' wages; the city provides the money for "three hots and a cot".
2015 September 25, Sam Thielman, “New York City owes homeless aid organization $2.5m in unpaid funds”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 08 Nov 2020:The voluntary prisoner in search of "three hots and a cot" is a persistent figure in American popular culture.
2009 May 10, David Streitfeld, “The Recession Made Them Do It”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 11 Oct 2022:I guess I don't have much self-esteem. I'm grateful for the three hots and a cot for four weeks.
2017, Nancy Price, Blonde Broads, College Station, T.X.: Virtualbookworm Publishing, →ISBN, page 174:It is, said the Rev. Eugene Boutilier, emergency services issues manager for the United Way, an important part of the mix of services that better-endowed cities are trying to provide to street people. "We need more than just three hots and a cot," he said.
1987 February 28, Jay Mathews, “Homeless Shelter Officials Differ on Problem’s Scope, Nature”, in The Washington Post, archived from the original on 22 Feb 2023: