lightning in a bottle
3
9.2
- idiom
- /ˈlaɪt.nɪŋ ɪn ə ˈbɑː.təl/
- Informal
:
algo difícil de lograr
- And sure enough, once the show aired, it was like lightning in a bottle, record ratings.
- catch lightning in a bottle
- capture lightning in a bottle
And sure enough, once the show aired, it was like lightning in a bottle, record ratings.
- And sure enough, once the show aired, it was like lightning in a bottle, record ratings.
- The the problem is that you can't often capture lightning in a bottle.
- OK, Exploding Kittens, lightning in a bottle.
Examples
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And when it was all over, we had captured our little bit of lightning in a bottle.
Blog text (17) -
He caught lightning in a bottle!
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The whole thing was lightning in a bottle.
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Well just trying to catch a little lightning in a bottle.
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So it comes back to expectations and to capturing that lightning in a bottle for a second time.
Blog text (14) -
Aw, Roger, you and Gene caught lightning in a bottle.
Blog text (9) -
It really was lightning in a bottle.
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There are so many authors flocking these days to Amazon and hoping to catch lightning in a bottle on KDP Select.
Blog text (11) -
It was lightning in a bottle, the perfect storm of circumstances and whatever other clichés mean a one-off good thing!
Blog text (12) -
Creating that viral video was truly lightning in a bottle for our marketing team.
Antonyms
How Rare
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a clear metaphor: 'lightning' evokes something powerful and fleeting and 'in a bottle' evokes containment, so a learner who knows the words can infer the idea of capturing something rare or ephemeral. However the idiomatic sense — referring specifically to a rare, unlikely-to-repeat success or event rather than literal containment — is a metaphorical extension that may not be fully predictable without exposure, so it is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
The phrase lightning in a bottle comes from the vivid image of trying to trap bright lightning inside a small bottle, something nearly impossible and full of power. So, calling something lightning in a bottle means it was a 'rare and special' success.