It’s been two years since we published “How to Describe Extremely Hot Weather,” but this topic remains, well, hot every summer, especially when the sun chooses violence.

In our first post, we explored adjectives and synonyms for hot and the subtle differences in their meanings. This time, we’re diving into funny and colorful ways to describe scorching heat, so let’s get right to it.

*“The sun is on overtime” is inspired by the idea of overtime in sports, where a game continues beyond its regular time because the score is tied. When people say “The sun is on overtime,” they’re joking that the sun is working longer or harder than it should, making the day feel unbearably hot or as if it will never end.

**To let up = to become less intense, less severe, or to stop (e.g. The sun/heat won’t let up. The rain finally let up.)

You might have noticed a couple of common themes running through the expressions above, such as roasting or frying. These are examples of conceptual metaphors – figures of speech that compare one thing to another by describing it in terms of something else. In this case, extreme heat is compared to cooking: the weather becomes an oven or an air fryer, and people feel as though they’re being roasted or fried.

Aside from cooking metaphors, you may have noticed personification in some of these expressions (e.g., “The sun chose violence today.”). Can you spot any other examples in the table? Share them in the comments if you find any!

In this context, personification gives the sun or weather human qualities.

Hyperbole is another notable device. It intentionally exaggerates reality for humorous effect (e.g., “I’m melting!”). Can you identify any other examples? These expressions, of course, aren’t meant to be taken literally. Check out our post “Hyperbole or the Best Thing Since Sliced Bread” for more on the subject.

Last but not least, absurdity and surreal humor can also be found among these examples. Some jokes create humor by pretending that an impossible or ridiculous situation is real. You may be thinking, “Isn’t it the same as hyperbole?” Well, they do overlap. Hyperbole stretches reality, but absurdity creates a bizarre or impossible scenario. Some expressions can be both, though. For example, “I’m one degree away from spontaneous evaporation.” This is hyperbole because it exaggerates how hot you feel, but it also has an absurd element because humans don’t actually evaporate. Let us know in the comments if you notice other examples.