quandary vs hot water

quandary and hot water both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
quandary	Yes	No	No	No
hot water	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, hot water is a hyponym of quandary; that is, hot water is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than quandary:

quandary: a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one
hot water: a dangerous or distressing predicament

Other hyponyms of quandary include care, box, corner.

quandary (noun)	hot water (noun)
state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options	a dangerous or distressing predicament
a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one