English
Etymology
From the days of flintlock firearms, where the main charge was intended to be fired by a small charge of gunpowder in the priming pan. If the resultant fire did not pass through the touch-hole and ignite the main charge, it produced noise and smoke, but no substantial effect, and was termed a �flash in the pan�.
Noun
en-noun|sg=flash in the pan|flashes in the pan
- context|idiom|colloquial A transient occurrence with no long-term effect.
#: The concept turned out to be merely a flash in the pan, and is no longer used.
#A career notable for early success not followed by significant accomplishment.
#: He was named best new director of 1940, but his career was a flash in the pan.''
seeCites
See also
go off half-cocked
lock, stock and barrel
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