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What does it mean when the fat lady sings?

Author

William Brown

Published Jun 24, 2026

What does it mean when the fat lady sings?

Definition of it ain’t over until/till the fat lady sings —used to say that the final result of something (such as a sports contest) has not yet been decided and could still change We’re losing, but remember: it ain’t over till the fat lady sings.

Where does the saying it’s not over until the fat lady sings come from?

The saying comes from baseball – I think from one of the New York stadiums (possibly the Brooklyn Dodgers’ home) in the inter-war period. It comes quite simply from the fact that a rather fat, older, female fan used to start singing at the end of every game. So the game wasn’t over till the fat lady sang.

Who was the fat lady that sang?

Kate Smith, a large lady, used to sing the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ at the end of American football matches in the 1950s. Thus one knew the game was over when she sang.

What does it mean that it’s not over until the fat lady sings?

“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.

Where does the saying when the fat lady sings come from?

According to the Library of Congress book, Respectfully Quoted, published last year, the phrase “the opera ain’t over till the fat lady sings” was coined in 1978 by Dan Cook, a sports writer from San Antonio, Texas, after his town’s basketball team had gone one up in a championship series.

What is the fat lady’s name in Harry Potter?

Behind the scenes In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the Fat Lady is played by the late Elizabeth Spriggs. She is shown with black hair and a pink silk dress and she doesn’t seem to have much personality.

Who said the quote it ain’t over till it’s over?

Yogi Berra
“It ain’t over till it’s over.” Well, you can’t argue with that. American baseball legend Yogi Berra first uttered the phrase about baseball’s 1973 National League pennant race. His team was a long way behind when he said it and they did eventually rally to win the division title.

What is the password for the Fat Lady in Harry Potter?

Caput Draconis
When Harry and the other first-year students arrive at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, Percy addresses the portrait of a very fat lady, in a pink silk dress, to give her the password, “Caput Draconis.” Never named, the portrait is called The Fat Lady throughout the rest of the series.

What is gryffindors password?

An iconic moment, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone boasted the very first utterance of a Gryffindor password. It was ‘Caput Draconis’ which is Latin for ‘dragon’s head’ and that definitely fits as a straightforward password for the common room.