frying pan

American  

Also fry-pan,

noun

1. a shallow, long-handled pan in which food is fried.

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idioms

1. out of the frying pan into the fire, free of one predicament but immediately in a worse one.

frying pan British  

noun

1. a long-handled shallow pan used for frying

2. from a bad situation to a worse one

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Etymology

Origin of frying pan

1350–1400; Middle English fryinge panne

Compare meaning

How does frying-pan compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• saucepan vs. frying pan

Example Sentences

It quoted a Malian official as saying that Wagner operatives were "worse than the French. They think my men are more stupid than them. We have gone from the frying pan to the fire."

From BBC

Forever chemicals have been used prolifically since the 1940s in thousands of products from frying pans to medical equipment to school uniforms.

From BBC

From frying pan to furnace, Rohl is the new Rangers head coach.

From BBC

Inside Dorothy’s Kansan house, a once-shadowed frying pan on the wall now dangles front and center, as does a digitally added “Home Sweet Home” needlepoint nailed to the threshold.

From Los Angeles Times

"The worry is that Nasa may be jumping out of the frying pan, into the fire," says Dr Barber.

From BBC

Related Words

• wok