Why We Left The US For Life In Spain

What does “pan out” mean in English?

Jeff and Laura sold their home, their car, everything — then moved across the ocean to Spain before knowing if their visa would be approved. “Hopefully this is going to pan out,” Jeff says. To pan out means to succeed or end well. The phrase comes from gold mining: miners used a flat pan to wash dirt and find gold. When they found some, the search had “panned out.” Today any plan or hope can pan out — or not.

In the clip, Jeff describes the pressure of the move: “you sell everything you own, your home, your car, everything and then you move across the ocean to come live in a different country, you’re wondering like okay, hopefully this is going to pan out.” He had already given up everything before knowing the result. You can use it in many situations. “I applied for three jobs — I hope at least one pans out.” Or: “The business idea sounded good, but it never panned out.” It works for both success (“it panned out perfectly”) and failure (“it didn’t pan out”). People sometimes connect “pan” to cooking, but that’s not the link. The phrase comes from the flat pan miners used to wash dirt and search for gold.