Piping Hot (Origin)

by Craig Shrives

What Is the Origin of the Saying "Piping Hot"?

The term piping hot means extremely hot. It is thought to have originated from the sound of the old pipe organs in large churches. It was first penned by Chaucer in the Canterbury Tales. He wrote Wafers piping hot out of the gleed.

A Competing Theory

In Scotland, when ceremonial dishes of food are brought to the table to the accompaniment of bagpipes, they are piped in; i.e., they are piping hot.

Table of Contents

  • English Proverbs and Idioms Test
  • More Proverbs, Sayings, and Idioms
Piping Hot (Origin)

Examples of Use:

  • That plate has just come out of the oven. It's piping hot!
  • Why didn't you blow on it before you ate it? I told you it was piping hot.
  • The baking tray is piping hot. Use oven gloves.

Previous and Next Sayings

English Proverbs and Idioms Test

Ready for the Test?

More Proverbs, Sayings, and Idioms

Help Us Improve Grammar Monster

  • Do you disagree with something on this page?
  • Did you spot a typo?

Find Us Quicker!

  • When using a search engine (e.g., Google, Bing), you will find Grammar Monster quicker if you add #gm to your search term.

See Also

What are idioms? What is figurative language? A list of common grammar errors A list of easily confused words A list of sayings and proverbs