it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings

English

Alternative forms

• it ain't over till the fat lady sings, it ain't over until the fat lady sings, it isn't over 'til the fat lady sings, it isn't over till the fat lady sings, it isn't over until the fat lady sings

Etymology

First appeared in 1976 in a Dallas Morning News article dated March 10, 1976. Popularized by sports coach Dick Motta in 1978. Generally understood to be in reference to opera sopranos, who were typically heavyset.

Proverb

it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings

1. There are more developments yet to come; one should not presume to know the outcome of an event which is still in progress.

   Synonym: it ain't over till it's over

Translations

there are more developments yet to come

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 事情未了 (shìqíng wèiliǎo), 戲還沒唱完 / 戏还没唱完 (xì hái méi chàng wán)

• Finnish: kaikki on vielä mahdollista
• German: Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben., noch nicht aller Tage Abend sein
• Hungarian: várjuk ki a végét, még semmi sem dőlt el, ne igyál előre a medve bőrére (hu)
• Korean: 그 살찐 아가씨가 노래할 끝난게 아닙니다 (geu saljjin agassiga noraehal kkeunnan'ge animnida)
• Polish: dopóki piłka w grze, wszystko jest możliwe
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Scottish Gaelic: chan eil am bonnach beag bruich fhathast
• Spanish: hasta el rabo, todo es toro

See also

• don't count your chickens before they're hatched

Further reading

• It ain't over till the fat lady sings on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Gary Martin (1997–) “It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings”, in The Phrase Finder.
• “it ain't over till/until the fat lady sings” in Idioms and phrases, TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2024.