It's hotter than a blacksmith's forge: 15 Czech expressions for extreme heat

What do you say in Czech when it's hotter than hot?

Katrina Modrá

Written by Katrina Modrá Published on 12.06.2019 16:52:00 (updated on 08.12.2021) Reading time: 1 minute

This article was originally published in 2018.

The extreme heat wave gripping the Czech Republic is expected to continue this week with highs of 34°C in Prague predicted through the weekend.

In between chasing the sprinkler truck or taking a dip at your local pool, there’s no better time than the present to practice your Czech hot-weather phrases, while enjoying a cold beer, of course:

Outside it’s like (Je tam jak)…

  • …ve výhni / in a blacksmith’s forge
  • …v pekárně / in a bakery
  • …v pekle / in hell
  • …v peci / in the oven
  • …na Sahaře / on the Sahara
  • …v pazderně / a room for processing flax that reaches 35°C

Hot like (Horko jako)…

  • …v peřinách / in a duvet
  • …horko jako za kamny / in the oven
  • …jako v huti / an ironworks
  • …v prd*li / in the a*s!

Just plain hot

  • Vedro – Heat: Bylo po celý den nesnesitelné vedro. / The heat throughout the day was unbearable.
  • Parno – Steamy: The headlines that dominate the media when temps rise above 30°C are considered parnografie! (from Cestina 2.0)
  • Hic – Any day where the temperature exceeds 30°C can be referred to as hic, from the German hitz.
  • Pařák – Slang for a real scorcher (also used to refer to the device used for steaming dumplings).

And when you are sweating more than usual, you can say, just as you would in English, that you are sweating like a pig / Potí se jako prase.

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