flash in the pan

== 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 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. === Pronunciation === === Noun === flash in the pan (plural flashes in the pan or flash in the pans) A transient occurrence with no long-term impact. For quotations using this term, see Citations:flash in the pan. A career notable for early success not followed by significant accomplishment. ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === See also ===