VOA慢速英语2021--词汇掌故：昙花一现

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

On this program we take a closer look at common words and expressions in the English language.

Today we will talk about how to describe something that shows promise of being great, but then turns out to be...not so great.

We can call this a flash in the pan.

First, let's look at the words in this expression. A flash is a sudden burst of light or fire -- here one second and gone the next. And a pan is a kind of container usually used for cooking. But it has other meanings, too. We will talk about that later.

Sometimes we use the expression "flash in the pan" for things that seem to be going well. There is hope! But then, in the blink of an eye, things turn bad. In other words, things go from good to bad very quickly.

An artist or entertainer could be described as a flash in the pan if their success happens quickly but does not last long. If a singer is a flash in the pan, we could also call him or her a one-hit-wonder. This expression describes an artist who has only one popular, or hit, song and then disappears from the spotlight¹.

Here is another example of how to use flash in the pan:

I thought that my new boss was going to be here for a long time. But she was just a flash in the pan. Here today, gone tomorrow.

Word experts say "flash in the pan" probably comes from an old kind of firearm called a musket². These weapons were used during the 16th to 17th century. But to understand the origin of this expression, we have to understand how a musket fired.

Experts on the website Revolutionary War Journal explain that firing a musket was complex. It took about 10 steps to fire these guns. So, the firing of a musket gun is very much a chain reaction – one action leads to another, and another, and another.

The muskets³ had a place for the gunpowder⁴ called a "pan." When you pulled the trigger, a piece of flint would hit a piece of steel called a frizzen. This would cause sparks to fly into the pan – also called a flash pan. This would light the gunpowder, which would then light the main charge. This, would, finally, fire the gun.

Sometimes.

Other times things went wrong in this chain reaction. For example, sometimes the charge in the pan would light but would fail to light the main charge.

The result?

The gun would not fire. When this misfire happened, people called it a "flash in the pan."

And misfires were common. Through time, the expression "flash in the pan" soon became used to describe other things.

But not VOA Learning English. It has been around for many years. So, it is not a flash in the pan. And we plan to be around for many more years to come!

Words in This Story

spotlight – n. public attention or notice

gunpowder – n. an explosive mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal⁵, and sulfur⁶ used in gunnery and blasting

flint – n. a massive hard dark quartz⁷ that produces a spark when struck by steel

spark – n. a small bit of burning material

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 musket   

n.滑膛枪

参考例句：

• I hunted with a musket two years ago.两年前我用滑膛枪打猎。
• So some seconds passed,till suddenly Joyce whipped up his musket and fired.又过了几秒钟，突然，乔伊斯端起枪来开了火。

3 muskets   

n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The watch below, all hands to load muskets. 另一组人都来帮着给枪装火药。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• Deep ditch, single drawbridge, massive stone walls, eight at towers, cannon, muskets, fire and smoke. 深深的壕堑，单吊桥，厚重的石壁，八座巨大的塔楼。大炮、毛瑟枪、火焰与烟雾。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

4 gunpowder   

n.火药

参考例句：

• Gunpowder was introduced into Europe during the first half of the 14th century.在14世纪上半叶，火药传入欧洲。
• This statement has a strong smell of gunpowder.这是一篇充满火药味的声明。

5 charcoal   

n.炭，木炭，生物炭

参考例句：

• We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。
• Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。

6 sulfur   

n.硫，硫磺（=sulphur）

参考例句：

• Sulfur emissions from steel mills become acid rain.炼钢厂排放出的硫形成了酸雨。
• Burning may produce sulfur oxides.燃烧可能会产生硫氧化物。

7 quartz   

n.石英

参考例句：

• There is a great deal quartz in those mountains.那些山里蕴藏着大量石英。
• The quartz watch keeps good time.石英表走时准。