a flash in the pan
/ə ˌflæʃ ɪn ðə ˈpæn/INFORMAL · C1
Meaning
a success that happens once and does not last
Examples
- 1Their first song was a hit, but the band turned out to be a flash in the pan.
- 2Critics said her early success was a flash in the pan, but she proved them wrong.
- 3The shop was busy for a month after opening, then empty; it was just a flash in the pan.
- 4Is this new app a flash in the pan, or will people still use it next year?
- 5Winning one award could be a flash in the pan; winning three in a row shows real talent.
Grammar
Countable: a flash in the pan. Usually after be or turn out to be; the phrase itself does not change.
More idioms about success
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →riding highbeing very successful at the momentcome up trumpsto succeed or help when people did not expect itgo belly upto fail, especially as a businesslearn the hard wayto find something out through your own mistakesget off the groundto start successfullybear fruitto produce good results after a lot of effort
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
Here you get a couple of questions. The app gives you 16 practice modes, native equivalents and spaced repetition that tells you when it’s time to refresh.
