flash in the pan
flash in the pan — noun
1. something that starts with sudden energy or excitement but produces no lasting o
something that starts with sudden energy or excitement but produces no lasting or real result, fizzling out almost immediately
Hiro's weekend guitar attempt was a flash in the pan — he quit after two days.
used after 'be' to describe a failed brief effort
The jump in sales was a flash in the pan when the company lost those customers.
That protest was a flash in the pan; within a week no one mentioned it.
The new app's early buzz proved to be a flash in the pan when users found bugs.
- one-hit wonder
more specific to entertainment or sports; implies exactly one success followed by nothing
- nine-day wonder
older, less common; emphasises the very short duration of interest
- long-lasting success
direct opposite in duration
- enduring achievement
opposite in lasting impact
文法句型
be a flash in the pan
prove to be a flash in the pan
用法筆記
Commonly follows the verb 'be' or 'prove to be'. The phrase is always singular — you cannot say 'flashes in the pan' as a plural referring to a single event.
常見錯誤
2. a person, project, or product that looks very promising at first but quickly tur
a person, project, or product that looks very promising at first but quickly turns out to be disappointing, worthless, or unable to sustain its early success
Critics dismissed the singer as a flash in the pan, but a second album proved them wrong.
passive: 'dismissed as a flash in the pan'
The start-up was a flash in the pan — investors poured money into it for six months, then it collapsed.
Walid's exam score was no flash in the pan; he had studied hard all year.
That restaurant was a flash in the pan: packed for a month, then empty.
- false dawn
more formal; suggests the promise was an illusion from the start
- passing fad
focuses on brief popularity rather than initial promise
- sure thing
informal; opposite of risky or deceptive promise
- lasting success
direct opposite in durability
文法句型
be a flash in the pan
dismiss someone/something as a flash in the pan
no flash in the pan
用法筆記
Frequently used in negative sentences ('no flash in the pan') to assert that something is genuinely successful or lasting. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 emphasises the effort being brief and fruitless, while sense 2 emphasises the initial promise that later disappoints.