frying pan
Americannoun
idioms
noun
-
a long-handled shallow pan used for frying
-
from a bad situation to a worse one
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.
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
"The worry is that Nasa may be jumping out of the frying pan, into the fire," says Dr Barber.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2025
When sunny skies returned, the Olympic skate park — made of concrete and shaped like a bowl — became a giant frying pan.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2024
He scooped eggs from the frying pan onto a plate and poured himself water through the fancy push-this-lever-and-water-comes-out refrigerator.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
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.
