Flavor of the month is an idiom that originated in the United States. An idiom is a word, group of words or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is not easily deduced from its literal meaning. We will examine the meaning of the phrase flavor of the month, where it came from and some examples of its use in sentences.
Flavor of the month describes someone or something that is popular at a particular time, usually for a short amount of time. The phrase was devised as an advertising ploy for ice cream. Certain flavors were concocted and spotlighted each month in order to stir interest. The earliest known use of the term flavor of the month was by Sealtest ice cream in 1936. Later, the term flavor of the month was used figuratively to mean something popular for a short time. Today, flavor of the month is most often used in a derisive fashion. When used as an adjective before a noun, the term is hyphenated as in flavor-of-the-month.
Examples
The flavor of the month of May has been Fernando Alonso and on pole day, one of racing’s most celebrated drivers will be looking to win the top spot. (The Hendricks County Flyer)
It is a long and disjointed hothouse conversation; however, it’s also a tour de force of fine acting, an ensemble that is remarkable, offering an antidote to whatever the galaxy flavor of the month that has arrived, signaling that summer is about to start. (The Ashland Daily Tidings)
Over the ensuing two decades, Ailes’s creation seamlessly transformed itself into the conservative media outlet of record, willingly serving as an uncritical mouthpiece that helped to legitimize whatever message the Republican Party’s latest flavor-of-the-month ideologue hoped to transmit to the masses. (GQ Magazine)
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