A hot potato is a controversial issue nobody wants to deal with, because whatever you decide, someone will be angry. The image is simple: you can't hold a hot potato, so you pass it to someone else fast. The parking proposal became a hot potato at the residents' meeting. It often comes as a political hot potato.
When would you say a hot potato?
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be/become a hot potato; a political hot potato; handle a hot potato
- The proposal to remove parking spaces became a hot potato at the residents' meeting.
- Nobody wanted to take responsibility for the budget cuts; they were a political hot potato.
- The school timetable has become a hot potato because families disagree strongly about the changes.
What changed
First versionThe parking proposal has become hot potato for the council.
RevisionThe parking proposal has become a hot potato for the council.
Hot potato sounds like a ready-made label, so the article is easy to skip. But potato is countable, and this is one disputed issue: a hot potato. Add a, and the sentence is correct.
A hot topic is something everyone is discussing, and that's mostly interesting. A hot potato is something everyone avoids, because any decision will upset someone. Pass the buck means shifting responsibility, which is exactly what people do with a hot potato.
Your turn
The issue caused fierce disagreement and nobody wanted to handle it; it was ___.
Show the answer
a hot potato — The argument is fierce and nobody wants to deal with it, so it's a hot potato. A piece of cake means very easy.
Describe an issue at work, at school or at home that everyone avoids. Use a hot potato.
Choosing which branch to close became a hot potato because every neighbourhood wanted to keep its library.
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