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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'>Thanks, Margaret,</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I believe your explanation more than the
one attributing this saying to German operas of the Richard Wagner kind (“The
Ring”) where the heavy Valkyrie heroine Brunhilde sings the last song.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Expressions similar to the “fat lady”
one seem to me: “man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben” (don’t
praise the day before the evening has come), “don’t count your
chickens before they are hatched”.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>How do other languages express this idea?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Fritz Goerling<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>2008/5/8
Fritz Goerling <<a href="mailto:Fritz_Goerling%40sil.org">Fritz_Goerling@<wbr>sil.org</a>>:<br>
> Recently I came across the expression "It ain't over til' the fat
lady<br>
> sings."<br>
> I was interested in finding out where the expression comes from. Who is
the<br>
> fat lady?<br>
> I found different contradictory explanations about the origin (opera,<br>
> church, sports; Southern expression).<br>
><br>
<br>
Hi Fritz,<br>
<br>
This is actually an old British saying, and not many people know its<br>
origin. It is based on the life of Queen <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Victoria</st1:place></st1:State>.
Although she<br>
survived her German husband for many years, and mourned him for a long<br>
time, she eventually realized she was better off without him and is<br>
reported to have sung on her deathbed. I think her son was even older<br>
than Prince Charles when he became king, so he had to wait a long time<br>
for her to die.<br>
<br>
Regards<br>
<br>
Margaret Marks<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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