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 spotlight . 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 musket . 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 . The muskets had a place for the gunpowder 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 !