Step 1 : Introduction to the question "1. A pretty young thing known as Sue Just wanted to bill and to coo But her young man named Stan Was a flash in the pan She dumped him and now she's with Stu. Poor old Stan. What he wants to know is - what is a flash in the pan?"
...1. Setting the chip pan on fire 2. A short lived success or event 3. A doomed love affair 4. Similar to a shooting star When something or someone is described as a flash in the pan it means very short lived and unsuccessful. It comes from the priming and firing of an old flintlock pistol, where the priming material would flash in the loading pan, but the pistol would fail to discharge. Anything that starts off with great promise but leads to quick failure and disappointment can be described this way.
