A flash in the pan, meaning “something temporary or transient,” doesn’t derive from gold mining, nor does it have to do with cooking. It originated with firearms, specifically old-fashioned flintlock muskets. When a flinklock’s trigger is pulled...
It’s the ultimate road trip: A father and son retrace the journey of Odysseus and find a way to navigate their relationship. Plus, the story behind the phrase a flash in the pan: It has nothing to do with cooking or gold mining. Also, what’s a...
Shelby calls from Rockville, Indiana, to ask about the origin of the phrase keep your powder dry. Many people surmise it derives from words uttered by Oliver Cromwell, but there’s no recorded evidence of this. The phrase first pops up in the early...