A heat check is when you do something to check to see how hot you are. In basketball, this is done by taking a crazy shot to see if you are so hot, you can even make ridiculous shots. It is the most direct, non-subtle attempt to score with no strategy at all. In pursuing women, a heat check is a simple, direct statement made to a woman to see if she will be interested. A man is “just checking” to see if it works without needing more clever methods. The best heat checks involve minimal risk, because they are harmlessly “just checking” and not a full-blown attempt.
Guy 1: Why did you invite that girl to the bar with you so directly? Don’t you think it had zero chance of working?
Guy 2: Just a heat check. As long it doesn’t damage my chances at all with her in the future, it just checks to see if she might say yes to pure directness.