Question: What does the phrase "not until the fat lady sings" mean?
raywest
19th Nov 2005
Independence Day (1996)
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Answer: It's an opera reference. The common phrase is, "It's not over until the fat lady sings." Many operatic sopranos (female lead performers with high-toned singing voices) are of large girth. In an opera, the soprano usually sings a dramatic aria just before the big finale. Basically it means that unless every option has run out, there's still hope of succeeding.
raywest ★