pistol, hotter than a

short for "hotter than a two-dollar pistol," which means very hot; red-hot. A two-dollar pistol is "hot" because it is so cheaply made that it usually blows up and blows off a hand. The expression is used in the lecture in reference to questions which gave significant or "hot" reactions on the E-Meter. Or they might be hotter than a pistol. —Repetitive Rudiments and Repetitive Prepchecking, Part II (10 July 62)