flash in the pan

flash in the pan
noun
someone who enjoys transient success but then fails
Hypernyms: ↑failure, ↑loser, ↑nonstarter, ↑unsuccessful person

* * *

1. : the firing of the priming in the pan of a flintlock musket without discharging the piece
2.
a. : a sudden spasmodic effort that accomplishes nothing
b. : a person of brilliant promise but little ultimate performance or worth

* * *

flash in the pan see under ↑pan1
• • •
Main Entry:flash
————————
flash in the pan
1. A mere flash in the pan of a flintlock without discharge
2. A fitful show of beginning without accomplishing anything
3. A brief success
• • •
Main Entry:pan

* * *

a thing or person whose sudden but brief success is not repeated or repeatable

our start to the season was just a flash in the pan

Origin:
with allusion to the firing of a flintlock weapon, the ineffective flash that results from the ignition of the priming powder in the gunlock's pan without the desired ignition of the main charge in the gun's chamber

* * *

flash in the pan
: a person or thing that fails after being very popular or successful for a brief time

He was a flash in the pan whose second album didn't sell very well.

• • •
Main Entry:flash
————————
flash in the pan — see flash, 2
• • •
Main Entry:pan

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • flash in the pan — Flash Flash (fl[a^]sh), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Flashed} (fl[a^]sht); p. pr. & vb. n. {Flashing}.] [Cf. OE. flaskien, vlaskien to pour, sprinkle, dial. Sw. flasa to blaze, E. flush, flare.] 1. To burst or break forth with a sudden and transient… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Flash and the Pan — was an Australian New Wave group (essentially an ongoing studio project) formed in the late 1970s by Harry Vanda and George Young, both former members of the Easybeats. George Young is also an older brother to Angus Young and Malcolm Young of… …   Wikipedia

  • Flash And The Pan — war eine australische Band, die im Kern auf The Easybeats zurückging. Die beiden hauptsächlichen Songschreiber der Easybeats, George Young und Harry Vanda, blieben nach dem Ende der Band 1969 zusammen, um weiter als Team zu arbeiten. Sie wurden… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Flash and the Pan — war eine australische Band, die im Kern auf The Easybeats zurückging. Die beiden hauptsächlichen Songschreiber der Easybeats, George Young und Harry Vanda, blieben nach dem Ende der Band 1969 zusammen, um weiter als Team zu arbeiten. Sie wurden… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Flash in the pan — Flash Flash, n.; pl. {Flashes}. 1. A sudden burst of light; a flood of light instantaneously appearing and disappearing; a momentary blaze; as, a flash of lightning. [1913 Webster] 2. A sudden and brilliant burst, as of wit or genius; a momentary …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Flash in the pan — Pan Pan, n. [OE. panne, AS. panne; cf. D. pan, G. pfanne, OHG. pfanna, Icel., Sw., LL., & Ir. panna, of uncertain origin; cf. L. patina, E. paten.] 1. A shallow, open dish or vessel, usually of metal, employed for many domestic uses, as for… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • flash in the pan — If something is a flash in the pan, it is very noticeable but doesn t last long, like most singers, who are very successful for a while, then forgotten …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • flash in the pan — ► flash in the pan a sudden but brief success. [ORIGIN: with allusion to the priming of a firearm, the flash arising from an explosion of gunpowder within the lock.] Main Entry: ↑flash …   English terms dictionary

  • Flash and the Pan — est un groupe de musique australien fondé à la fin des années 1970. Il est connu entre autres pour la chanson Midnight Man sortie au milieu des années 1980. Portail de l’Australie …   Wikipédia en Français

  • flash in the pan — {n. phr.}, {slang} A person or thing that starts out well but does not continue. * /The new quarterback was a flash in the pan./ * /Mary got 100 on the first test in arithmetic but it was just a flash in the pan because she failed in arithmetic./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”