run hot and cold
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Verb
editrun hot and cold (third-person singular simple present runs hot and cold, present participle running hot and cold, simple past ran hot and cold, past participle run hot and cold)
- (idiomatic) To alternate between two opposite extremes, such as enthusiasm and disinterest or success and failure.
- Henrietta's feelings for Delbert run hot and cold—one minute she's hopelessly in love with him, and the next she can't stand the sight of him.
- The business runs hot and cold; some months our firm doesn't earn enough to cover expenses and other months, we net 400% profits.
- 2013 May 23, Sarah Lyall, “British Leader’s Liberal Turn Sets Off a Rebellion in His Party”, in New York Times, retrieved 29 May 2013:
- London’s right-leaning newspapers, which tend to run hot and cold on the prime minister, are veering toward Arctic right now.