During my enlistment in the United States Army, it was my fortune to wind up spending an inordinate time with the forces of the British Empire.  I did not care much for the big shots such as Jumbo Wilson, he being of the rank of general or admiral.  On the other hand, I tended to like the persons who did the heavy lifting who were enlisted men such as myself.
When hot weather came, there were two expressions used by these blokes that are worth remembering.  One of them was “hotter than the hubs of Hell,” the second one being “hotter than a by-god.”  I do not know where these expressions came from but they were used by the British and it is their language so I thought it was appropriate to recognize them.
The expression, “hotter than the hubs of Hell,” seems to be singular and is not repeated in the American idiom.  But the fact of the matter is that it describes hot weather.  Even to this day some 70 years later, I still think to myself that a hot day might rival the thought that it is “hotter than the hubs of Hell.”
On the second expression, “hotter than a by-god,” is easier to parse.  I suppose that it originally was “by God, it’s hot today” or “by God, it’s cold today.”
These are expressions used by the soldiers in the British Eighth Army that have stuck with me for the better part of 70 years.  Any expression that would evolve or otherwise stick with a man for that length of time deserves some recognition.
I have lived much longer than I ever anticipated and on warm days I still think of “hotter than the hubs of Hell” or “hotter than a by-god.”  I have just finished dictating an essay on the power of prayer.  It would seem that these two expressions probably would not fit in with the power of prayer.  But in the final analysis we won the war, which was World War II, and in any case I still have affection for “hotter than the hubs of Hell” and also “hotter than a by-god.”  This essay is being dictated at the end of August and I can assure you that I am ready to see the warm weather vanish.
 
E. E. CARR
August 21, 2011
Essay 575
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Kevin’s commentary: Since I really enjoyed “A Ribald Hymn” I thought I’d keep the British-army-language-posts rolling. I have no idea where the ‘hubs’ part would come from either. I will attempt to find a brit who I can consult on the matter, unless it’s purely a military thing.
As a side note, I’m not sure New Jersey ever has days that merit the phrase “hotter than a by-god” because it’s my understanding that the state rarely, if ever, reaches triple digits.