Top Pages
Home
A-Z Glossary
Punctuation
A-Z Confused Words
Common Mistakes
(ordered by seriousness) Top Tip
Get a grammar checker
for your browser ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists Tests and Games Awkward Plurals Sayings and Proverbs Twitter YouTube
(ordered by seriousness) Top Tip
Get a grammar checker
for your browser ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists Tests and Games Awkward Plurals Sayings and Proverbs Twitter YouTube
Pans Out Nicely (Origin)
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
Ready for the Test?
More Proverbs, Sayings, and Idioms
- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?
Next lesson >