hot mic

or hot mike

[ hot mahyk ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Informal.

a microphone that is actively recording or broadcasting, especially if it captures a comment or conversation that the speaker or speakers believed to be private (often used attributively): The reporter was suspended after her profanity was caught on a hot mic.
The techs should limit the number of hot mics to reduce acoustic feedback.
The reporter was suspended after her profanity was caught on a hot mic.
Their hot mic scheming confirmed the conspiracy theories.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of hot mic¹

1930–35; hot (in the sense “actively conducting an electric current”) + mic “m��Ǳ��ǲԱ�”

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Bush felt obliged to apologize, as did his son George W., when he was seeking the White House eight years later and a hot mic caught him referring to one of the New York Times’ political correspondents as “a major league a—.”

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was caught on a hot mic the other day giving his assessment of Donald Trump’s threat to turn Canada into the 51st state.

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The Canadian leader was caught on a hot mic worrying about Trump's designs on Canada, saying that the president's expansionist goals were a "real thing."

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They were heard by gathered journalists because the prime minister did not realize he was still speaking into a hot mic.

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She was infamously caught on a hot mic asking “who gives a f*ck” about Christmas decorations in the White House.

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hot metal hot money

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