Fig.: a brief triumph or a promising start followed by a failure

Many critics thought he was much too young to be taken seriously as a writer and that he would only be a flash in the pan, but his second successful novel proved them wrong

Molti critici pensavano che fosse uno scrittore troppo giovane per essere preso sul serio e che sarebbe stato solo un fuoco di paglia, ma il suo secondo romanzo di successo li ha smentiti tutti

It’s common knowledge that New Year’s resolutions are often just a  flash in the pan. Once the interest is over, everything goes back to normal

Tutti sanno che i buoni propositi d’inizio anno sono spesso e volentieri dei fuochi di paglia. Una volta sbollito l’interesse, tutto torna come prima

If confirmed by other studies, the accidental finding by our scientists could be sensational, but it could also end up being a flash in the pan

La casuale scoperta dei nostri scienziati, se confermata da altri studi, potrebbe rivelarsi sensazionale, ma potrebbe anche finire in un fuoco di paglia

This expression comes from the 17th-century flintlock musket, which had a depression in the lockpan to hold the priming powder. When all went well, the flash of the priming powder ignited the charge in the bore and fired the weapon. Sometimes, however, there was only a “flash in the pan” and the gun did not shoot