What it means
A deliberately provocative or contrarian opinion, fired off quickly for reaction more than reflection. Pineapple belongs on pizza is a classic hot take, the kind of statement designed to spark an argument in the replies rather than win anyone over.
Usage examples
"Hot take: the sequel was better than the original, fight me."
"He opens every meeting with a hot take just to get a rise out of people."
"That's not analysis, mate, that's just a hot take with better lighting."
"Every time the group chat goes quiet, she lobs in a hot take and watches the phones catch fire."
Where it comes from
It comes from journalism and political commentary in the US. A hot take was the fast, just-filed opinion piece pushed out while the story was still hot, usually quicker than it was thoughtful. Online it widened into any flashy, snap opinion dropped to spark reactions, arguments, and quote-tweets.
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