Meanings
- slanguncountablePrison.
“I've never been to jail before,” [Neal] said. “But there is a bright side: three hots and a cot at taxpayer expense.”
1996 January 29, Unknown, “JUST FOLKS Homeless man who went on-line jailed on charge of stealing batteries”, in Sarasota Herald-Tribune - slanguncountableBasic food and shelter.
I guess I don't have much self-esteem. I'm grateful for the three hots and a cot for four weeks.
2017, Nancy Price, Blonde Broads, College Station, T.X.: Virtualbookworm Publishing, →ISBN, page 1743 more examples
It is, said the Rev. Eugene Boutilier, emergency services issues manager for the United Way, an important part of the mix of services that better-endowed cities are trying to provide to street people. "We need more than just three hots and a cot," he said.
1987 February 28, Jay Mathews, “Homeless Shelter Officials Differ on Problem’s Scope, Nature”, in The Washington Post, archived from the original on 22 Feb 2023The voluntary prisoner in search of "three hots and a cot" is a persistent figure in American popular culture.
2009 May 10, David Streitfeld, “The Recession Made Them Do It”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 11 Oct 2022Doe raises the necessary money for its residents' wages; the city provides the money for "three hots and a cot".
2015 September 25, Sam Thielman, “New York City owes homeless aid organization $2.5m in unpaid funds”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 08 Nov 2020
Origin
Rhyming expression from the idea of three hot meals daily and a bed to sleep on.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
three hots and a cot. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/three%20hots%20and%20a%20cot
“three hots and a cot.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/three%20hots%20and%20a%20cot. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “three hots and a cot,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/three%20hots%20and%20a%20cot.
Source: three hots and a cot on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.