
Related to will-o'-the-wisp: ball lightning


phenomenon known also as ignis fatuus and jack-o'-lantern. It is seen at night as a pale, flickering light over marshland. There is no generally accepted explanation for it; it may result from the spontaneous ignition of gases (e.g., methane) produced by the disintegration of dead plant or animal matter, or it may be a form of phosphorescence. The eerie lights have given rise to many superstitions.
References in periodicals archive ?
A strange glow, like a will-o'-the-wisp, flickers in her eyes.
There are straightforward scientific explanations of other natural phenomenon, such as the will-o'-the-wisp described in "Irrlicht" and the sundogs seen by the narrator in "Die Nebensonnen."
The show - the story - begins with Maria, "a flibbertigibbet, a will-o'-the-wisp, a clown", hurtling back to the abbey where, given her shocking time-keeping, she is clearly in vain pursuit of a career as a nun.
"It was a skilful run at Grimsby which gave him the chance - and a brave run because he had to win a 50-50 against their centre-back and Joe is a bit of a will-o'-the-wisp really with his build - and it was a shame he hit the post when he should have scored.
They are now disappointed to see that their hope has turned out to be a will-o'-the-wisp.
And the direction of Josep Pons, a conductor whose tidy beat encourages rather than dictates what goes on in the ranks, enabled a much reduced CBSO to relish the score's transparency and its opportunities for individual display, notably in the Pantomime (lovely cello solo from Richard Jenkinson) and Will-o'-the-Wisp numbers.
We did not understand our enemy, a will-o'-the-wisp guerrilla foe who went to ground as we passed through.
The United States, too, has been spending vast sums trying to buy various Yemeni factions, chasing the will-o'-the-wisp of an ever-elusive alliance.
The trail is only accessible by means of careful research and even then difficult to tell if a glimmer is light or will-o'-the-wisp. Philologists did construct new texts and alter old ones, outraging institutional authorities who considered textual tampering unforgiveable.