hot air

noun

, Informal.

1. empty, exaggerated, or pretentious talk or writing:

   His report on the company's progress was just so much hot air.

hot air

noun

1. informal.
   empty and usually boastful talk

Word History and Origins

Origin of hot air¹

1835–45 for literal sense

Idioms and Phrases

Empty, exaggerated talk, as in That last speech of his was pure hot air . It is also put as full of hot air , as in Pay no attention to Howard—he's full of hot air . This metaphoric term transfers heated air to vaporous talk. [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

Without any prior knowledge of ballooning, Donaldson bartered his way into owning a hot air balloon and debuted as an aeronaut in 1871.

From Salon

The Liberal government and its Irish nationalist partners kept trying to convince themselves that was all hot air — sounds familiar, right? — but the wish-casting got more challenging after Carson unveiled the Ulster Covenant of 1912.

From Salon

The next byproduct of fire is heat — like the burner in a hot air balloon, the wildfire causes the bottom layer of the atmosphere to become less dense and therefore rise.

From Los Angeles Times

But she said the fan mainly blows hot air in her direction.

From Los Angeles Times

Make sure you close the windows on the sunny side of your home, to keep out hot air.

From BBC