Hula hoops, beehive hairdos, pet rocks, lava lamps and the Brady Bunch all had their day in the spotlight but were they all just passing fancies?

This relatively recent expression comes from American advertising posters of the 1930s. It became popular with ice cream companies who saw a flavour-of-the-month as a great marketing idea.

Often the featured flavour would be offered at a reduced price to encouraged customers to part with their money in the hope of return custom and future loyalty.

At first the expression was used to describe something up-to-date and desirable. It is most often used now in a derogatory way for a passing fad or one-hit wonder.

It is cruelly used to describe a celebrity considered overrated. The phrase suggests that a meteoric rise to fame is most likely to be quickly followed by a meteoric fall.