run hot and cold

present singular third person runs hot and cold · participle present running hot and cold · past ran hot and cold

1. idiomaticTo alternate between two opposite extremes, such as enthusiasm and disinterest or success and failure.

   The business runs hot and cold; some months our firm doesn't earn enough to cover expenses and other months, we net 400% profits.

   2 more examples

   Henrietta's feelings for Delbert run hot and cold—one minute she's hopelessly in love with him, and the next she can't stand the sight of him.

   London’s right-leaning newspapers, which tend to run hot and cold on the prime minister, are veering toward Arctic right now.

   2013 May 23, Sarah Lyall, “British Leader’s Liberal Turn Sets Off a Rebellion in His Party”, in New York Times, retrieved 29 May 2013

   Synonyms: blow hot and cold, hold with the hare and run with the hounds