flash pan
Gunlock's powder tray
A flash pan is the small pan on an old-fashioned firearm that held the priming powder.
When the trigger was pulled, this powder ignited first, then fired the main charge.
Sometimes the powder in the pan would flare up without igniting the main charge—a "flash in the pan"—producing dramatic effect but no result.
This origin gives us the figurative phrase for something that promises much but delivers little.
- fireCombustion with flames
- frizzenFlintlock's spark-producing steel
- sparkTiny fiery particle
- ignitionStarting combustion process
- muzzleAnimal's nose area
gun barrel · smoke · gun · combustion · burning · flammable · powder horn · lighter · flintlock · tray · match · black powder · receptacle · anticlimax · lock · fizzle · disappointment · one-hit wonder
flash panstaying power
Capacity to keep going
substance · main event · follow-through · slow burn · solid foundation
flash, pan, flashed, flashes, flashing, flashy, flasher, flashiest, flashier