'flash-in-the-pan' originates from English, specifically the literal phrase referring to the 'pan' of a flintlock musket, where the priming powder could 'flash' without igniting the main charge.

'flash-in-the-pan' changed from a literal description used in descriptions of flintlock firearms (17th–18th century) to a figurative expression by the 19th century, eventually becoming the modern idiom meaning a short-lived or abortive success.

Initially, it meant 'a flash in the gun's pan without the main charge firing', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a brief or false success that does not last'.