Flash in the Pan
I thought flash in the pan originated with gold mining.
If a miner saw glitter in his pan, he became excited. Rather than gold, what he often saw was only a flash in the pan.
I was wrong.
According to The Phrase Finder, flash in the pan originated with flintlock muskets that had small pans for gunpowder. When gunpowder flared but no bullet fired, it was called a flash in the pan.
The expression, “hang fire,” has a similar origin.
Flash in the pan refers to a promise of success that fails.
- Authors write only one bestseller.
- Musicians record one hit but no others.
- Actors star in only one major movie or play.
- Athletes lose their positions after a brief career.
- Businesses boom and then go bankrupt.
They make a splash, but their success does not last.
Doing our best beats trying to impress.
Let’s use our abilities, great or small, to make the world a better place. Now, that’s success!
“May the God of peace … equip you with everything good for doing his will” (Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV).
Thanks to Frank Cheatham for the flash in the pan suggestion and to Brad Leverett for hang fire. Image by Alexander Lesnitsky from Pixabay.
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UPDATE: Thanks to Warren Johnson who noticed that the pistol in my photo is a percussion pistol, not a flintlock. See his comments below for more interesting details about his flintlock rifle pictured here.