27
Jul
Previously I mentioned that which is ‘dire’ preps us for The Way to hope, and thus dire fuels story. Indeed, I suggested renaming this blog to ‘Dire-ctions’ … I am still mulling that one over. But today, in the interest of dissecting my current blog title, I want to touch base with the many connotations of ‘pan’:
At first search I found no less than 20+ meanings of the word (even with the duplicates) outside the two well-know idioms of … “flash in the pan” & “out of the frying pan”. Feast your eyes on these and then go write away.
| 1. |
a broad, shallow container of metal, usually having sides flaring outward toward the top, used in various forms for frying, baking, washing, etc. |
| 2. |
any similar receptacle or part, as the scales of a balance. |
| 3. |
the amount a pan holds or can hold; panful: a pan of shelled peas. |
| 4. |
any of various open or closed containers used in industrial or mechanical processes. |
| 5. |
a container in which silver ores are ground and amalgamated. |
| 6. |
a container in which gold or other heavy, valuable metals are separated from gravel or other substances by agitation with water. |
| 7. |
a drifting piece of flat, thin ice, as formed on a shore or bay. |
| 8. |
a natural depression in the ground, as one containing water, mud, or mineral salts. |
| 9. |
a similar depression made artificially, as for evaporating salt water to make salt. |
| 10. |
(in old guns) the depressed part of the lock, holding the priming. |
| 11. |
Also, panning. an unfavorable review, critique, or appraisal: The show got one rave and three pans. |
–verb (used with object)
| 13. |
Informal. to criticize severely, review harshly, express a negative opinion of … as in a review of a play. |
| 14. |
to wash (gravel, sand, etc.) in a pan to separate gold or other heavy valuable (precious) metals. |
| 15. |
to cook (oysters, clams, etc.) in a pan. |
–verb (used without object)
| 16. |
to wash gravel, sand, etc., in a pan in seeking gold or the like. |
| 17. |
to yield gold or the like, as gravel washed in a pan. |
—Verb phrase
| 18. |
pan out, Informal. to turn out, esp. successfully: The couple’s reconciliation just didn’t pan out. |
–noun
| 1. |
the leaf of the betel. |
| 2. |
a substance, esp. betel nut or a betel-nut mixture, used for chewing. |
–verb (used without object)
| 1. |
to photograph or televise while rotating a camera on its vertical or horizontal axis in order to keep a moving person or object in view or allow the film to record a panorama: to pan from one end of the playing field to the other during the opening of the football game. |
| 2. |
(of a camera) to be moved or manipulated in such a manner: The cameras panned occasionally during the scene. |
–verb (used with object)
| 3. |
to move (a camera) in such a manner: to pan the camera across the scene. |
| 4. |
to photograph or televise (a scene, moving character, etc.) by panning the camera. |
–noun
| 5. |
the act of panning a camera. |
| 6. |
Also called a panning shot. the filmed shot resulting from this. |
–noun
| 1. |
a major vertical division of a wall. |
| 2. |
a nogged panel of half-timber construction. |
To wash gravel, sand, or other sediment in a pan.
To yield gold as a result of washing in a pan.
WOW! One word … many idioms. My friends, this is what makes the craft of writing fun! I really like that last one, “to yield gold as a result of washing in a pan” - then to drop it into the refining fire of the dire. So many connotations, so little time. 
panning for gold in them thar words,
david w. fry
Posted Friday, July 27th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
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