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Show Old saying goes back many years The remark, "just a flash-in-the-pan," goes back to the days when the powder charge in a gun barrel was ignited by a shower of sparks, according to the National Rifle Association, Associ-ation, a non-profit membership organization, recognized as the governing body for shooting in the United States. These sparks were caught by a small quantity of finely-ground gun-powedr gun-powedr in a small dished area called the pan, located just below be-low the touchhole leading to the main charge in the barrel. When the shower of sparks was generated by the flint and steel of the ignition mechan-, ism, . the small powder charge in the pan would "go off" first causing a spectacular flash; this preceded by a fraction of a second the actual discharge of the piece. It was not uncommon un-common for the flash to be followed fol-lowed by no discharge at all much to the chagrin of the shooter who had gore through many motions to load one of the old-timers. Hence it is said that something is a "flash-in-the pan" if, after considerable preparation, the event is a quick failure. The easiets way to keep a kitchen floor safe is to mop up spills and splashes in the minute they occur followed by a quick once-over with a sudsy mop, because it takes a soap or detergent solution to wash away grease. |