In message , "Gord
writes
"Paul J. Adam" wrote:
Dan may have been joking a little Paul

Yes, he said so too - my mistake for being too literal.

now a question, do
you know how "flash in the pan" originated?

Matchlocks and flintlocks again: the priming fires but doesn't ignite
the charge in the barrel (blocked vent, for instance). So you get the
flash in the pan, but no shot.

Me gun nut, me know these things Even if my sense of humour
occasionally needs recalibration when reading Americanese

--
When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite.
W S Churchill

Paul J. Adam MainBoxatjrwlynch[dot]demon{dot}co(.)uk