hot potato
noun
: a controversial question or issue that involves unpleasant or dangerous consequences for anyone dealing with it
Examples of hot potato in a Sentence
He tried to avoid taking a strong stand on political hot potatoes like abortion.
Recent Examples on the Web
North End board member warns of takeover by right-wing ‘zealots’
The decision to fly Pride flags has become a political hot potato.
—
Sarah A. Miller, Idaho Statesman, 28 May 2025
Listen to this article Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is instructing the school board to move ahead on accepting the costs of a $175 million pension payment that has been a political hot potato between City Hall and Chicago Public Schools.
—Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
Another strategy now being explored—one that’s less of a political hot potato—is to have utility operators offer their customers compensation for reducing their demand for electricity during times of peak use.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Nov. 2010
But what to do about it is a hot potato that must balance addressing the struggles many doctors face with the harm that can come to patients when such problems are ignored.
—Harriet Blair Rowan, Mercury News, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hot potato
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Sarah A. Miller, Idaho Statesman, 28 May 2025
Listen to this article Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is instructing the school board to move ahead on accepting the costs of a $175 million pension payment that has been a political hot potato between City Hall and Chicago Public Schools.
—Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
Another strategy now being explored—one that’s less of a political hot potato—is to have utility operators offer their customers compensation for reducing their demand for electricity during times of peak use.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Nov. 2010
But what to do about it is a hot potato that must balance addressing the struggles many doctors face with the harm that can come to patients when such problems are ignored.
—Harriet Blair Rowan, Mercury News, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hot potato
Cite this Entry
“Hot potato.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20potato. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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