hot spot

noun14

1. •
   A location which has a higher temperature or amount of radiation than surrounding areas.
2. •
   (figurative) A place notable for a high level of activity or danger.

   • Great guns! messmates, but if Flint was living, this would be a hot spot for you and me. Six they were, and six are we; and bones is what they are now. — 1881
3. •
   (figurative) A dangerous place of violent political unrest.
4. •
   (figurative) A lively and entertaining place, such as a nightclub.
5. •
   (figurative) A part of an application that consumes a significant amount of execution time.
6. •
   (figurative) The region of a gene in which there is a higher than normal rate of mutation.
7. •
   (figurative) Ellipsis of biodiversity hotspot (“a place with a significant level of biodiversity, particularly if the flora and fauna are threatened with loss of their habitat”).
8. •
   (Internet, figurative) A location in which Wi-Fi Internet access is available.
9. •
   A part of a forest fire which is burning actively.
10. •
    The surface manifestation of a plume of molten material that rises from deep in a celestial body's mantle.
11. •
    An area of high radioactive contamination.
12. •
    An infected lesion in dogs or other furry mammals caused by excessive itching.
13. •
    Synonym of heiligenschein (“an optical phenomenon which creates a bright spot around the shadow of the viewer's head, when the surface on which the shadow falls has special optical characteristics”).
14. •
    (figurative) A part of a control (“an interactive interface element”) that responds dynamically as a user moves a pointer over it (for example, a part of an image map that contains a hyperlink which can be clicked on with a cursor).