Why is it that when you smoke a cigarrette quickly or maybe share a smoke with another person, and the cherry gets unusually long, its called "hotbox"ing it?What exactly is the origin of this?I’ve been pondering this for a week now.Can anyone shed some light on this?
everybunny needs somebunny, sometime…
I thought that hotboxing was smoking marijuana in a car or other confined area so that the smoke stays in the area and can be re-used, but I am not an avid smoker so I am not sure.
We must blame them and cause a fuss before somebody thinks of blaming us.
Sheila Broflofski
Nope, coming from an avid potsmoker 
, mama’s definition is the one I’ve heard for hotboxing. Clueless as to where it comes from, though …
The truths of religion are never so well understood as by those who
have lost the power of reasoning.
–Voltaire
This might not be the origin you’re looking for, but here goes:
On the railroad, a “hot box” is the term for a rail car that has a sticking brake, or some other mechanical malfunction, that causes an axle to overheat to such a degree that it turns red. The affected car needs to be set off at a siding or in a yard, before it catches fire.
If you have the latest Donnas CD, listen to their song Hot Boxin’ for another explanation.
“You can observe a lot just by watching.” – Yogi Berra
According to the Random House Dictionary of Historical Slang:
Hotbox-
1.A ship commanded by brutal officers,
2.A nymphomaniac or very passionate female, vul.
3.A steam cabinet for weight reducing.
So you can draw your own conclusions from these def.s, assuming random house also does not know, or you can consider my WAG:
When you smoke a filtered cigarette too fast, the filter collapses into a more concave, semi-rectangular (less cylindrical shape.) (=BOX) And becomes hotter. (=HOT).
I’ve always referred to that as a “clam-bake”.
What John said, a railroad car bearing going out.
There used to be a favorite way of sharing a ‘joint,’ in that one would place the lit end in one’s mouth and blow through it to ‘shotgun’ the smoke out at one’s partner. I would assume that would be termed a hotbox because it can make the lit end rather long – and rather hot in the mouth.
What? Me worry?’
Until reading this post, it had been my belief that “hotboxing” referred to extinguishing a half-smoked cigarette and placing it back into the pack for later use. I smoke the occasional cigarette, and I have seen people do this (but I think that re-lit cigarettes taste even nastier than those lit for the first time).
Well, thanks for the input.Seems like everybody has heard this, but with different meanings.I wonder if its regional?I’m in south Texas, and I’ve always known it to mean the “too big fire” thing.
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Anyway, I appreciate y’all taking the time to answer anyway.Thanks
everybunny needs somebunny, sometime…
D’oh!Me and my crummy html…
everybunny needs somebunny, sometime…