Pans Out Nicely (Origin)

Our Story

Search...

What Is the Origin of the Saying "Pans Out Nicely"?

If something pans out nicely, it means that things have gone well. The term derives from the miners and prospectors who carried large pans in search for precious metal. They would fill their pans with mud and residue from a stream and rinse and shake it so the heavier elements would be separated by falling to the bottom. If these turned out to be gold or any other precious metal, then things had panned out nicely.

Previous and Next Sayings

Test Your Knowledge of English Proverbs and Idioms

Interactive Exercise
Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.

More Proverbs, Sayings, and Idioms

Help Us To Improve Grammar Monster

  • Do you disagree with something on this page?
  • Did you spot a typo?
Please tell us using this form.

See Also

What are idioms? What is figurative language? A list of common grammar errors A list of easily confused words A list of sayings and proverbs