Buzz
The Los Angeles Times reported in 1995: 'Many believed Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill was just a flash-in-the-pan after it debuted at No. 10 on the Southern California pop chart last week. But the young Canadian singer’s album is picking up momentum, now at No. 5.'
That was an understatement. Jagged Little Pill didn’t just rise—it sold over 10 million copies in 1996 and an additional 20 million in the years that followed. It stood in stark contrast to the idea of a flash in the pan, a term often used for fleeting fads, trends, or short-lived hype. Beanie Babies were a flash in the pan, as was Vanilla Ice.
Though it might seem like the term originates from cooking, it’s not quite what you think.
The History Behind the Phrase 'Flash in the Pan'
The Oxford English Dictionary explains that the term flash in the pan originated in the late 1600s and referred to a misfire in a weapon. When the gunpowder was ignited without firing a shot, it was called a flash in the pan.
Early firearms from the 1300s required manual ignition by placing a flame to the barrel's powder. Later, matchlock guns were designed to fire mechanically. With the flintlock, a new advancement, the pan held the priming powder, and a lid would open when it was time to fire. The priming powder was placed outside the barrel, where a spark would ignite it.
The system seemed perfect in theory. However, sometimes the fire didn’t reach the powder inside the barrel, resulting in just a flash in the pan with no real effect. A flash without a shot was ultimately inconsequential.
By the 1800s, the OED notes, the term began to be used figuratively to describe a situation where something promising failed to deliver. Green’s Dictionary of Slang also highlights additional meanings for flash in the pan in the 1700s, such as referring to an “incompetent, useless person” or a “failed effort or outburst.”
The Flash That Failed to Pan Out
Though the expression comes from the world of firearms, there have been various alternative theories over time. One suggestion is that gold prospectors in streams, excited by the sight of a shiny object in their pan, mistook it for gold, only to be disappointed when it turned out to be something much less valuable.
When language expert William Morris proposed the firearm theory in 1959, a reader challenged him, urging him to 'do better than that' and instead suggested a gold rush origin. Morris countered that the flintlock predates the 1800s gold rush, rendering the theory implausible. However, the phrase it didn’t pan out might well have originated from these hopeful prospectors.
Gunpowder also gave rise to another saying: keep your powder dry, meaning to stay calm and composed. This was wise advice for soldiers carrying volatile materials, ensuring they didn’t get wet. It’s said that Lord Protector of England Oliver Cromwell coined the phrase, telling his men: 'Put your trust in God, my boys, but mind to keep your powder dry.'
Cromwell, however, was no flash in the pan. After his death, his political enemies had him posthumously hanged, beheaded, and displayed his skull for over three decades. The 'resting in peace' part of his legacy didn’t exactly pan out as expected.
