What is the origin and meaning of the phrase, It ain over until the fat lady sings?
This began as an African-American joke about the tedious length of prayer meetings: “Church ain’t out till the fat lady sings.” It was modified by a San Antonio sports writer in the ’70s to give it a Wagnerian twist. Paul Roberts, Lake Cathie There is a divergence of opinion but most concern sport and fat women singers. Dan Cook, a San Antonio TV sports editor, was said to have coined the phrase in 1973. Kate Smith, a large American singer of the ’30s and ’40s, used to sing God Bless America at the end of events like World Series baseball and some operas conclude with a large soprano hitting high notes. Paul Hunt, Engadine The saying, first used around 1976 by sportswriter Dan Cook in the San Antonio News-Express, was originally “the OPERA ain’t over till the fat lady sings” (no doubt a reference to the fact that many operas end with a soprano aria and that many of these singers are “comfortably-built”) and means that until something has officially finished, the result is uncertain. It
