Not sure where it originated, but I remember first hearing the term in the movie, The Last Starfighter.  It was kind of the ultimate attack that the ship could do, where it began spinning in place, firing in all directions.

Oh, just found a clip of the scene (Death Blossom at around 2:20, excuse the 80s CGI) ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmPGuMGs8cg