Blow hot and cold means to behave inconsistently, especially by changing your feelings, opinions, or level of support from one moment to another.
The expression is usually used when someone seems positive one day and negative the next. It often suggests uncertainty, mixed motives, or unreliable behavior.
Its origin is commonly linked to an old fable about a traveler and a satyr. The satyr is surprised when the traveler blows on his hands to warm them, then blows on his soup to cool it. Using the same breath for opposite purposes makes the traveler seem contradictory, and that idea led to the modern expression.
Today, people use it for changing attitudes, not literal temperature.
- She keeps blowing hot and cold about the job offer.
- The company has blown hot and cold on remote work for years.
- He blows hot and cold with his friends, so they never know where they stand.
A close idea is to send mixed signals, but blow hot and cold often focuses more on repeated changes in attitude or support.