"Full of Hot Air" Idiom Meaning, Origin & History | Superduper English Idioms
Channel: Superduper English Idioms
Date: 2020-11-21

0:00 - How to Say, “Full of hot air...”
0:23 - Examples of “Full of hot air...”
1:07 - Meaning of “Full of hot air...”
2:23 - Origin of “Full of hot air...”
4:23 - More Examples of “Full of hot air...”
5:10 - Conclusion

“Full of hot air...”

When someone says that you’re “full of hot air,” they mean that you boast, brag, crow, gloat, show off, but there’s usually little truth to your words.

“Don’t believe what he says, he’s full of hot air,” a friend might say about another friend who is always talking about himself.

Maybe you’re confronting your partner, “Is that a box of cookies?! So, you were full of hot air when you promised me that you’d eat healthy and exercise?”

“You’re full of hot air! You’re telling me that your car can drive itself?” your skeptical grandma might say as you’re showing her your new car.

As you can see, if someone makes claims that are hard to believe, claims that are often downright untrue or exaggerated, they are “full of hot air”.

It’s easy to get, understand, appreciate that “hot air” is literally a description of talking - just as “shoot the breeze” is, though “shooting the breeze” is an allusion for gossip, idle yakking, chatting.

Thus, if someone talks about themselves nonstop, plenty of hot air will exit their mouth; perhaps enough hot air to inflate a hot air balloon!

A hot air balloon that’s ready to fly is literally full of hot air - just like a person who tries to impress others - and looks quite large, but is in fact empty inside.

The idiom, “full of hot air”, is believed to originate with American writer, Mark Twain, who used similar words to poke fun at politicians in his book, “The Gilded Age”, 1874.

It is no surprise that most cultures have their own idioms to express being “full of hot air,” such as in Taiwan where they say you’re “puffing up a cow”.

In Arabic and Spanish, you are putting on a “parade” or “parading about”.

In Japanese, you are “using a conch”, which is a type of seashell that can be turned into a musical instrument.

In this day and age of social media, it is easy - and tempting - to show off, brag, gloat, put on an act, blow your own trumpet, strut your stuff…

… and many people don’t hesitate to demonstrate just how “full of hot air” they are. Don’t let that person be you, however!

While it may feel good, be satisfying, pleasurable, pleasing to get likes, hearts, upvotes and words of envy, there can be just as much negativity as there is positivity.

“Don’t be fooled by the photos people share online! They take one vacation and suddenly they’re a jet setter. They’re full of hot air!” you might say to your friend.

Perhaps you tell your friend a fantastic story as a joke, “I’m full of hot air, I was just kidding around with you. None of that happened.”

“We’re really going on a roadtrip during the pandemic? You’re so full of hot air!” you might question your partner who has loaded up the car with luggage.

So, the next time you hear wonderful words, stunning speech, dazzling descriptions or tremendous talk, be sure to accuse the person of being “full of hot air”!

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