run hot and cold

run hot and cold

1. (idiomatic) To alternate between two opposite extremes, such as enthusiasm and disinterest or success and failure.

   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.

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

   • 2013 May 23, Sarah Lyall, "British Leader’s Liberal Turn Sets Off a Rebellion in His Party," New York Times (retrieved 29 May 2013):

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

• blow hot and cold
• hold with the hare and run with the hounds