blow hot and cold

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To behave inconsistently; to vacillate or to waver, as between extremes of opinion or emotion.

Pronunciation

en-au-blow hot and cold.ogg

Word forms

blow hot and cold blows hot and cold blowing hot and cold blew hot and cold blown hot and cold

Etymology

From Aesop's fable The Satyr and the Traveller, in which a satyr declares he cannot trust a man who blows hot (to warm his hands) and cold (to cool his food) with the same breath.

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