UK Heatwave: 10 (very British) hot weather expressions

With the UK well into the peak of this week’s heatwave, the team at Preply have outlined ten different ways people in the UK say it’s hot.

You’re probably going to hear (or have already heard) quite a few of these expressions this week…
“I like it hot, but not this hot”

Come rain or shine, Brits just never seem to be fully content about the weather. As we are going to be reaching the 30s later on in the week, this saying may just fully sum up how we’re all going to be feeling.
“It’s like a sauna in here”

There is absolutely no need to pay to go to a sauna this week when we’re going to have one in our non-air-conditioned offices. As far as dramatic British sayings about hot weather go, this one is a classic.
“A storm is brewing”

There is just something about the word “brew” or “brewing” that sounds so quintessentially British. After long periods of hot, sunny weather, and those dark clouds gather, you may be tempted to say just this.
“It’s muggy”

The term may have been popularised by Love Island, but it turns out that the weather can also play you by being “muggy”. When it is especially muggy outside, you will feel a combination of humidity and heat that makes you simply uncomfortable.
“The sun has got his hat on”

As told in the hit song by Ambrose and His Orchestra, “the sun has got his hat on” is a common way of saying that the sun is putting on a show for us.
“Not a cloud in the sky”

When the sky is looking a delightful shade of blue, this saying definitely does come out to play.
“It’s a scorcher”

It’s expected that the heatwave will hit its peak as we head into the weekend, and if you want a colloquial phrase to describe the very hot days ahead, “it’s a scorcher” is the one.
“I’m boiling”

There’s no need to pop the kettle on during the heatwave when you’re already boiling up yourself. Instead of a warm cup of tea, perhaps a refreshing iced coffee or smoothie will sort us out.
“It’s sweltering outside”

Even the sound of the word “sweltering” just makes us want to turn the fan on. When it comes to describing uncomfortably hot conditions, this word has a rightful place in the British warm weather dictionary.
“I love this tropical weather”

Let’s be honest, Brits just aren’t used to warm weather in their own country. And so when we get the slightest bit of sun or heat, it becomes natural for us to compare the climate to somewhere warm we visited abroad.