A lady rider "hot" on horseback

[Jonathan Lighter]

This appears to be the sole 19th C. ex. of "look hot on," acc. to GB.

Peculiar.

JL

On Thu, Nov 24, 2011 at 12:41 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      A lady rider "hot" on horseback
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> What do the experts make of "hot" in a letter of Jane
> Austen's?  (1805 April 8; see in GBooks "Jane Austen, her Life and
> Letters", p. 130.)
>
> This morning we have been to see Miss Chamberlayne look hot on
> horseback. Seven years and four months ago we went to the same
> riding-house to see Miss Lefroy's performance! What a different set
> are we now moving in!
>
> Hot, adj. and n. -- possibly:
>
> "8. Excited ... a. Of a person ... eager, keen"?  (In every century
> from OE through 2007.)
>
> "12. Characterized by intensity or energy ... b. Of speed of movement
> or action ... rapid, fast"?  (Earliest 1809.)
>
> "12. ... c.  colloq. (orig. U.S.) Extremely good ... very skilled,
> knowledgeable, or successful. Also with _on_ and a specified subject
> or activity."?  (Earliest 1845.)
>
> I vote for the last, and thus an antedating.  (And :-) another usage,
> like "baseball," taken home from the U.S. to England by Austen.)
>
> Joel
>
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