Take hit, take heat, take the hit or take the heat

Question

in the dictionary, "take the heat" is explained as "endure censure or criticism". I wonder if the same idiom can be used to mean "to endure hardship". Or if we should use other non-idiomatic expression like "take hit" (? if it exists).
also, must we include the article "the" (although i assume the presence of "the" is to indicate a particular censure/criticism/issue ??)

any thoughts ? thank you

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

First, you need "the" with heat.

"If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen" is a very standard (albeit trite) experssion that means if you can't handle the criticism, don't get involved.

"I can take the heat" means I can esure the criticsm or condemntation that will come from the action. It is not appropriate to use it for other types of hardship.

If you "take a hit" it means a one-time, negative effect.

Our balance sheets will take a hit this quarter, reflecting the extra costs of renovating the New Hampshire factory.

If you admit your mistake now, your credibiltiy may take a hit in the short-term, but people will appreciate your honesty, and as long as you fix it, you won't suffer any long-term ill effects.

Please show the entire sentence/context you're trying to write about and we'll see if we can find the right expression.

Seraphin · Answer

Thanks, grammar geek.
I was discussing the recent financial crisis and it came to my mind the expression of "taking a/the hxt". At the time I was not sure whether the correct expression was "heat" or "hit". From your explanation, for this particular hardship I was referring to I can only use "taking a hit", but not "taking the heat", if I understand you correctly. Again, thanks for the input

Anonymous · Answer

Most of the time heat referred to a peice or gun

Take hit, take heat, take the hit or take the heat

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