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a gardening/plant/flower metaphor needed

English translation: ephemeral, transient, fleeting

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:a gardening/plant/flower metaphor needed
Selected answer:ephemeral, transient, fleeting
Entered by: Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira

15:13 Sep 29, 2008
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Linguistics / metaphor
English term or phrase: a gardening/plant/flower metaphor needed
My author has referred to a "flower that blooms for just one day" in a Spanish expression that means literally "flower of one day" (flor de un dia).

the sentence goes:
...to establish whether the wealth generated is stable and long-lasting or is simply "flor de un dia".

I'm afraid I don't know enough about flowers for the expression I need to come to me, so I'm hoping someone will have a suggestion.

It doesn't even need to be flowers. One expression that occurs to me is "flash in the pan" but it's not so pretty, and also seems to imply that luck is involved.
Lia Fail (X)
Spain
Local time: 02:52
ephemeral, transient, fleeting
Explanation:
No metaphors, sorry.
Selected response from:

Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira
Brazil
Grading comment
Thanks:-)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +3one-day wonder
NancyLynn
2 +4ephemeral, transient, fleeting
Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira
3 +1here today, gone tomorrow
Shera Lyn Parpia
3bursts like a bubble
Christine Andersen
3morning glory
Rachel Fell
Summary of reference entries provided
Ioanna Daskalopoulou

Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +4
ephemeral, transient, fleeting


Explanation:
No metaphors, sorry.

Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira
Brazil
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks:-)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ken Cox: Or 'here today, gone tomorrow' in more colloquial language. I'm also not aware of any (common) metaphor for this in English.
9 mins
agree  Ioanna Daskalopoulou: I like ephemeral which comes from the Greek word "efimeros" meaning short-lived, one-day, passing, fleeting, transient transitory. I think Lia can use the expression ephemeral flower
11 mins
agree  Edyta Sawin: ephemeral flower - http://www.cactus-art.biz/note-book/Dictionary/Dictionary_E/...
57 mins
agree  Patricia Townshend (X): I like ephemeral.
3 hrs
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14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
here today, gone tomorrow


Explanation:
an idea...

Shera Lyn Parpia
Italy
Local time: 02:52
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jack Doughty
0 min
  -> :)
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34 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
one-day wonder


Explanation:
not horticultural in nature, but conveys the same meaning.


    Reference: http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/one-day+wonder
NancyLynn
Canada
Local time: 20:52
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 26

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Christine Andersen: wow, I remember it used to be a nine-day wonder! But I've heard this too.
47 mins
agree  Max Nuijens
1 hr
agree  Tania McConaghy
2 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
bursts like a bubble


Explanation:
Bursts like a bubble is perhaps an idea.

Collapse like a card-house or simply comet are suggestions in my dictionary.

The only flower I can think of is something blowing away like a poppy, but it is not exactly proverbial.


Christine Andersen
Denmark
Local time: 02:52
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
morning glory


Explanation:
I don't think it would fit your text as well as some of the other answers, but it is the sort of flower meant (there are other short-lived ones too)

nice pic.:
http://www.amazon.com/Heavenly-Morning-Glory-Seeds-UNTREATED...

I must say, my late flowering ones in this chilly northern summer/autumn often don't open until the middle of the day or later though are still short-lived...

Rachel Fell
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:52
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
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Reference comments


17 mins
Reference

Reference information:
http://en.mimi.hu/gardening/ephemeral.html

Lia, on the above-mentioned site you can see a list of ephemeral flowers.

Ioanna Daskalopoulou
Greece
Native speaker of: Native in GreekGreek, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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