a hot mess

[Jonathan Lighter]

The first time I heard it was as a euphemism for the S-word (or maybe the
B-word, like it makes a difference): "Don't give me that hot mess."

Colorado woman (sorry, kids, "lady"), age ca40, August, 2010.

JL

On Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 4:31 PM, Mark Mandel <thnidu at gmail.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Mark Mandel <thnidu at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: a hot mess
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> And the definitions show how likely it is to be misunderstood.
>
> 1.     hot mess
> When ones thoughts or appearance are in a state of disarray but they
> maintain an undeniable attractiveness or beauty.
> Although Nichole had just awaken, her boyfriend thought she was stunning -
> she was a hot mess.
>
> 2.     hot mess
> Someone or Something that is such a mess... the level of it, is off of the
> charts. It's past pathetic, past pitiful. It's to the point you almost have
> to walk away to keep from bustin a gut. Hot messes can exist in levels.
> i.e. Hot Mess, Hot Fuckin Mess
> Oh my God, y'all a HOT MESS!
>
>
> 3.     hot mess
> An attractive person, usually female, whose appearance is detrimentally
> affected by their level of drunkenness.
> Girl, you had a lot to drink. By the end of the night, you were a hot mess.
>
>
> m a m
>
> On Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 11:11 AM, Jonathan Lighter
> <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:
>
> > I've heard this several times, but only in the past couple of weeks.
> > UrbanDictionary.com gives most imaginable nuances:
> > http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hot%20mess . The many
> > hundreds of thumbs up or down show how common the phrase is.
> >
> > JL
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
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> >
>
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--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org