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Reader question: Please explain this sentence, particularly “flash in the pan”: They will not overreact to data that may prove nothing more than a flash in the pan. My comments: “Data” here refers to some (unspecified) statistics, i.e. figures and numbers. Say some newly released growth figures are very encouraging (or, for that matter, disheartening), but “they” (some unnamed experts or other) do not want to read too much into them, believing those growth numbers will not be sustainable. Because, you see, a flash in the pan is something that flares up but disappears swiftly. Take a flash of flames in the frying pan for example. All experienced Chinese cooks seem to enjoy seeing that happen. To achieve it, they boil oil to an extremely high temperature, or “smoky hot”, as they say. Then they put the vegetables in and immediately start stirring the pot rapidly before confidently tossing the pan up and down. This sometimes results in flashes in the pan – it’s the contents in the pan literally catching fire. This may look dangerous but the experienced cook knows that the flames are merely tiny bubbles of oil and vapor catching fire. No need to worry about the prospect of the whole kitchen catching fire because the oily bubbles instantly burn themselves out. That’s why they’re called a flash in the pan, an instant flare-up, like lightening in the sky, which shines brightly for a brief second and disappears, vanishing into the dark. | 
