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hot link

Hot link is AAVE and Southern US slang for a type of spicy, heavily-seasoned sausage — a staple of Black Southern cuisine and barbecue culture.

ˈhɑt ˈlɪŋk164 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🎤 Black culture & AAVE
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Definitions

US
#1·Apr 28, 2026US

Hot link is AAVE and Southern US slang for a type of spicy, heavily-seasoned sausage — a staple of Black Southern cuisine and barbecue culture. Typically made from pork and loaded with chilli pepper, cayenne, and other bold spices, hot links are a fixture at cookouts, in Creole cooking, and on soul food menus. The term is also used in Houston hip-hop culture as a cultural touchstone. Not to be confused with the computing term 'hyperlink.'

He threw a dozen hot links on the grill before the guests arrived and the smell drew everyone outside immediately.
Origin: Descriptive compound: 'hot' (spicy) + 'link' (a sausage, from the linked chain shape); a common pattern in sausage naming (bratwurst, hot dog, etc.). Editorial expansion authored on Slangora.
For parents

"hot link" means: Hot link is AAVE and Southern US slang for a type of spicy, heavily-seasoned sausage — a staple of Black Southern cuisine and barbecue cultu.... This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

"hot link" means: Hot link is AAVE and Southern US slang for a type of spicy, heavily-seasoned sausage — a staple of Black Southern cuisine and barbecue cultu.... Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. Note the regional or dialect label (AAVE) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this

Cluster: confused
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US
#2·Apr 27, 2026US

(AAVE) A spicy, heavily-peppered sausage.

Cluster: general
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For specific readers

"hot link" means: Hot link is AAVE and Southern US slang for a type of spicy, heavily-seasoned sausage — a staple of Black Southern cuisine and barbecue cultu.... This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.

Why is this section here?

Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.

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🎤About Black culture & AAVE slang

Slang from Black American Vernacular English (AAVE), hip-hop, drag and ballroom culture, the Caribbean, and NYC street vocabulary. The single largest source of new mainstream English slang in living memory.

See all Black culture & AAVE slang on Slangora.

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