frying pan
Americannoun
idioms
noun
-
a long-handled shallow pan used for frying
-
from a bad situation to a worse one
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of frying pan
1350–1400; Middle English fryinge panne
Compare meaning
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He picked up a discarded frying pan from a street along the way, claiming it could be protection.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Weather that swings from deep freeze to frying pan.
From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026
Yet the country may be launching out of the frying pan and into the fire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 13, 2026
When you need a frying pan to cook fluffy omelets, a skillet to brown mushrooms, or a sheet pan for baking an afternoon treat of chocolate chip cookies, it’s tempting to reach for something nonstick.
From Salon ● Dec. 9, 2024
I licked my fingers and touched them to the greased frying pan heating up on the stove.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
