Mental Floss

15 Wonderful Regional Expressions for Describing Warm Weather

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With the summer in full swing, you might be running out of ways to describe the sweltering heat. Why not look to the rest of the country for inspiration? These colorful expressions will help you really get your point across.

1. HOTTER THAN DUTCH LOVE 

People in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and New York are fond of this saying. It’s likely referring to the Pennsylvania Dutch, and not people who hail from the Netherlands.

2. IT’S A BARN-BURNER 

A barn-burner can also refer to a spectacular event or a match you can strike on any surface.  People from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland are known to use this phrase.

3. HOT ENOUGH TO SCALD A LIZARD 

When the temperature rises in Peak, South Carolina, this is the phrase locals turn to.

4. THE HEAT'S ON

Just like a stove, the weather is heating up.

5. IT’S A HUMDINGER 

You might have heard your grandfather use this expression, which inexplicably has fallen out of favor in recent times.

6. HOTTER THAN A STOLEN TAMALE 

This phrase is prevalent in Texas.

7. SHE SURE IS A-BEAMIN' 

Residents of Silver City, New Mexico, have this cheerful phrase to fall back on.

8. AWFUL SELSERY 

People in Kaskaskia, Illinois, use this nonsense phrase when the heat is unbearable.

9. HOT ENOUGH TO SCALD A LOON 

When these aquatic birds are getting scalded by the water, you know it’s too hot.

10. HOT AS A FIRECRACKER 

People in Minneapolis, Minnesota, use this festive expression throughout the summer—not just on the Fourth of July.

11. IT WAS A WARM DAY AND THE HORSES SWEAT 

This was a common expression in the 1970s.

12. HOTTER THAN BLUE BLAZES 

The people of Alabama use this euphemism to compare scalding temperatures to you-know-where.

13. TRAINING GROUNDS FOR DOWN BELOW 

Citizens of Macon, Georgia also have an inventive way to compare the weather to Hades’s domain.

14. THE BEAR GOT HIM 

People in South Carolina are known to use this wild exclamation. The “bear” in this case is heatstroke.

15. IT’S A TORCHER 

You can hear this expression in Bayfield, Wisconsin.

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