Meanings
plural flashes in the pan · plural flash in the pans
- figurativelyA transient occurrence with no long-term impact.
For quotations using this term, see Citations:flash in the pan.
2 more examples
The concept turned out to be merely a flash in the pan and is no longer used.
The new dinner lady: 10 years on, can an Ottolenghi chef prove Jamie Oliver's revolution wasn't a flash in the pan? [title]
2015 April 4, Sally Weale, “The new dinner lady: 10 years on, can an Ottolenghi chef prove Jamie Oliver's revolution wasn't a flash in the pan”, in The Guardian - figurativelyA career notable for early success that is not followed by any significant accomplishment.
He was named Best New Director of 1940, but his career was a flash in the pan.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
From the days of flintlock firearms, where the main charge was intended to be fired by a small charge of gunpowder in the flash 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. Sometimes called fluff in the pan, the term refers to any ineffectual, short, spasmodic effort that dies in the attempt, such as an explosion of priming in the lockpan of a gun while the gun itself does not go off.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan flamarada
- flamaradatransient occurrence with no long-term effect
Chinese Mandarin 曇花一現 /昙花一现
- 曇花一現 /昙花一现 (tánhuāyīxiàn)transient occurrence with no long-term effect
Finnish tähdenlento
- tähdenlentotransient occurrence with no long-term effect
French feu de paille
- feu de pailletransient occurrence with no long-term effect
German Strohfeuer, Eintagsfliege
- Strohfeuertransient occurrence with no long-term effect
- Eintagsfliegetransient occurrence with no long-term effect
Hungarian szalmaláng (szerű teljesítmény), rövid fellángolás
- szalmaláng (szerű teljesítmény)transient occurrence with no long-term effect
- rövid fellángolástransient occurrence with no long-term effect
- egyszeri felvillanástransient occurrence with no long-term effect
- gyorsan elmúló sikertransient occurrence with no long-term effect
Irish gal soip, rith searraigh
- gal soiptransient occurrence with no long-term effect
- rith searraightransient occurrence with no long-term effect
Italian fuoco di paglia
- fuoco di pagliatransient occurrence with no long-term effect
Polish chwilowy sukces
- chwilowy sukcestransient occurrence with no long-term effect
Portuguese fogo de palha
- fogo de palhatransient occurrence with no long-term effect
Russian мимолетный успех, однодневка
- мимолетный успех (mimoletnyj uspex)transient occurrence with no long-term effect
- однодневка (odnodnevka)transient occurrence with no long-term effect
Spanish llamarada de petate, flor de un día
- llamarada de petatetransient occurrence with no long-term effect
- flor de un díatransient occurrence with no long-term effect
Swedish dagslända
- dagsländatransient occurrence with no long-term effect
Thai ไฟไหม้ฟาง
- ไฟไหม้ฟาง (fai-mâi-faang)transient occurrence with no long-term effect
Turkish saman alevi
- saman alevitransient occurrence with no long-term effect
Welsh siafins, tân eithin
- siafinstransient occurrence with no long-term effect
- tân eithintransient occurrence with no long-term effect
Cite this entry
flash in the pan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flash%20in%20the%20pan
“flash in the pan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flash%20in%20the%20pan. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “flash in the pan,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flash%20in%20the%20pan.
Source: flash in the pan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.