It ain't over till (or until) the fat lady sings is a colloquialism which is often used as a proverb.It means that one should not presume to know the outcome of an event which is still in progress. More specifically, the phrase is used when a situation is (or appears to be) nearing its conclusion. If you thought no one could eat more than Pac-Man, we introduce you Super Fat, the hungry superhero, the online game based on the arcade classic, now compatible with iPhone and Android. When he was a child, Super Fat was mocked at his school. But one day, the god of fast food blessed him with the power to eat all the meatballs he could ever want. Since then, he eats all the meatballs in town. This is a game that used to be available on iloveyoulikeafatladylovesapples.com as a flash game. To preserve it, we feature an emulated version here.
Fat; Get ready for some big, fat fun in this bright adventure game!! Play more adventure games at Shockwave.com.
Meaning:
It ain’t over till the fat lady sings is a phrase that means a person should not assume the outcome of a situation until it reaches its end, because the circumstances can change.
Example: Jeff is watching football with his friends. The team their rooting for is losing, so his friends think the game is over. However, Jeff tells them: “It’s not over until the fat lady sings, they still have time to turn things around.”
1. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
2. It ain’t over till it’s over
2. It ain’t over till it’s over
Th Origin Of “It Ain’t Over Till The Fat Lady Sings”
The phrase “it’s not over till the fat lady sings” likely has a connection to opera (see paragraph below for further details). It’s first recorded use is believed to be from Ralph Carpenter in the Dallas Morning News, March 1976. To give context for the following quote, a basketball game was being played and the score was tied. Commenting on the game, Carpenter stated:
Casino online deutsch. “The opera ain’t over until the fat lady sings.”
Since the first recording of this phrase in print only dates back to the year 1976, it’s origin does not appear to be very old.
The “Fat Lady” Who Sings
Opera! When you hear this five letter word, you probably think of a theatrical performance with lots of singing and music. However, what about opera singers themselves? When some people picture them, they might think of a stereotypical fat lady who wears a horned helmet. Why is that?
One reason could be because of how opera singers were portrayed in forms of media we watched growing up. For example, in certain cartoons, an opera singer might be represented as an overweight lady with a horned helmet. This kind of imagery can then stick with us as we grow older. This specific representation of the “fat lady” with the horned helmet is believed to be based on Richard Wagner’s “Brunhilde” from the Ring Cycle.
One reason could be because of how opera singers were portrayed in forms of media we watched growing up. For example, in certain cartoons, an opera singer might be represented as an overweight lady with a horned helmet. This kind of imagery can then stick with us as we grow older. This specific representation of the “fat lady” with the horned helmet is believed to be based on Richard Wagner’s “Brunhilde” from the Ring Cycle.
Are All Opera Singers Fat?
No, opera singers come in all shapes and sizes. Do they tend to be more on the heavier side? Maybe. Some say that being overweight makes it easier to sing. According to those making this claim, having extra weight makes it easier for a person to control their diaphragm. Whether that is true or not, well, I’m no expert on the subject.
No, opera singers come in all shapes and sizes. Do they tend to be more on the heavier side? Maybe. Some say that being overweight makes it easier to sing. According to those making this claim, having extra weight makes it easier for a person to control their diaphragm. Whether that is true or not, well, I’m no expert on the subject.
Example Sentence
- I’m playing Go Fish with my niece. So far she’s winning, but I haven’t given up yet. It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.
Tip: Use the menu at the top to find the meaning of hundreds of phrases and sayings.
Amalie Materna as the valkyrieBrünnhilde (1876)
It ain't over till (oruntil) the fat lady sings is a colloquialism which is often used as a proverb. It means that one should not presume to know the outcome of an event which is still in progress. More specifically, the phrase is used when a situation is (or appears to be) nearing its conclusion. It cautions against assuming that the current state of an event is irreversible and clearly determines how or when the event will end. The phrase is most commonly used in association with organized competitions, particularly sports.
Definition[edit]
The phrase is generally understood to be a reference to opera sopranos, who were traditionally overweight. The imagery of Wagner's opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen and its last part, Götterdämmerung, is typically used in depictions accompanying uses of the phrase. The 'fat lady' is thus the valkyrieBrünnhilde, who was traditionally presented as a very buxom lady. Her farewell scene lasts almost twenty minutes and leads directly to the finale of the whole Ring Cycle.[1] As Götterdämmerung is about the end of the world (or at least the world of the Norse gods), in a very significant way 'it is [all] over when the fat lady sings.'
The saying has become so well known that it was the subject of an article in the journal Obesity Reviews.[2]
Attribution[edit]
Las vegas card games. The first recorded use appeared in the Dallas Morning News on March 10, 1976:[3]
Despite his obvious allegiance to the Red Raiders, Texas Tech sports information director Ralph Carpenter was the picture of professional objectivity when the Aggies rallied for a 72–72 tie late in the SWC tournament finals. 'Hey, Ralph,' said Bill Morgan, 'this.. is going to be a tight one after all.' 'Right', said Ralph, 'the opera ain’t over until the fat lady sings.'
In the same newspaper on November 26, 2006, Steve Blow[who?] followed up the discovery by contacting Bill Morgan[who?] about the incident:[4]
Fat Lady Game Calls
Bill vividly remembers the comment and the uproar it caused throughout the press box. He always assumed it was coined on the spot. 'Oh, yeah, it was vintage Carpenter. He was one of the world’s funniest guys,' said Bill, a contender for that title himself.
The 1976 use of the phrase was discovered by Fred R. Shapiro, who published it in The Yale Book of Quotations. It had previously been attributed to sportswriter and broadcaster Dan Cook, who used the phrase after the first basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Washington Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) during the 1978 NBA Playoffs. Cook used the line to illustrate that while the Spurs had won once, the series was not over yet.[5] Shapiro called this a notable example of misattribution.[6]
Fat Lady Game
Phrases with similar meanings[edit]
- 'It ain't over till it's over', a phrase popularized by baseball player Yogi Berra.
- 'Don't count your chickens before they hatch', a well-known saying which originated in the 16th century.
- 'The future isn't carved in stone', a phrase meaning that the future can always be changed.
- 'Nothing is carved in stone' or 'It isn't carved in stone.' a phrase meaning a situation or plans can be changed.
References[edit]
- ^'Libretti Götterdämmerung'. Richard Wagner. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
- ^Rössner, S. (October 1, 2014). ''It ain't over till the fat lady sings''. Obesity Reviews. 15 (10): 851–852. doi:10.1111/obr.12219. ISSN1467-789X. PMID25213703.
- ^Pincus, David (March 9, 2010). 'Today in Sports History: March 10th'. SBNation. Vox Media, Inc. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
- ^Blow, Steve (November 26, 2006). 'Fat lady first sang in the pages of The News'. Dallas Morning News.
- ^Adams, Cecil (October 25, 1991). 'What's the origin of 'the opera ain't over till the fat lady sings?''. The Straight Dope. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
- ^Shapiro, Fred R., ed. (2006). The Yale Book of Quotations. Yale University Press. p. xix. ISBN978-0-300-10798-2.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=It_ain%27t_over_till_the_fat_lady_sings&oldid=987741504'