Chrysti The Wordsmith: Flash in the Pan

The K G L T F M on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman. This is Christy the wordsmith a person whose success is disappointingly short lived is often branded a flash in the pan. This expression an Americanism from the 17th century was inspired by the firing sequence of the flintlock musket notoriously unreliable the musket failed to fire much less hit its target with exasperating frequency and a Rube Goldberg like scenario. The musketeer began by aiming his weapon and pulling the trigger. This activated a steel hammer which struck a flint creating a shower of sparks the sparks if all went well ignited the priming powder which rested on a piece of concave metal called the pan. This ignition in turn exploded the main gunpowder charge of the musket propelling the lead ball toward its target. If however the priming powder failed to ignite the main charge the contents of the pan would flare but not detonate the gunpowder. This abortive sequence resulted in a

promising but unfulfilling flash in the pan an elaborate scheme burning brightly with early success but quickly perishing evokes the obsolete flash in the pan musket technology. You can trace the histories of such idiomatic expressions as flash in the pan. In any dictionary of cliches which you can find in the reference section of your library or bookstore. I'm Christi the wordsmith. CHRISTIE The wordsmith is sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Zoot enterprises a high tech firm in Bozeman Montana offering challenging careers and innovative solutions for the financial services industry sued web dot com.