Until the Fat Lady Sings

Until the Fat Lady Sings

Series: Chrysti the Wordsmith
From: Chrysti M. Smith
Length: 00:02:03

The expression "the opera ain't over until the fat lady sings" gained national attention in 1978. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Until the Fat Lady Sings
From: Chrysti M. Smith

Smithchr_small A mere linguistic infant, the expression "the opera ain't over until the fat lady sings" gained national attention in 1978 when the San Antonio Spurs battled the Washington Bullets in the NBA playoffs.The expression suggests, of course, the iconic image of a heroically-proportioned soprano with a horned helmet, singing the final aria of an opera. "Chrysti the Wordsmith" two-minute modules are produced at KGLT Montana State University- Bozeman, and broadcast in Montana and Wyoming on Yellowstone Public Radio and Montana Public Radio, and internationally on the Armed Forces Radio and TV Network.

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Piece Description

A mere linguistic infant, the expression "the opera ain't over until the fat lady sings" gained national attention in 1978 when the San Antonio Spurs battled the Washington Bullets in the NBA playoffs.The expression suggests, of course, the iconic image of a heroically-proportioned soprano with a horned helmet, singing the final aria of an opera. "Chrysti the Wordsmith" two-minute modules are produced at KGLT Montana State University- Bozeman, and broadcast in Montana and Wyoming on Yellowstone Public Radio and Montana Public Radio, and internationally on the Armed Forces Radio and TV Network.

Broadcast History

"Chrysti the Wordsmith" two-minute modules are produced at KGLT Montana
State University- Bozeman, and broadcast in Montana and Wyoming on
Yellowstone Public Radio and Montana Public Radio, and internationally
on the Armed Forces Radio and TV Network.

Transcript

Until the Fat Lady Sings

The proverbial expressions practice what you preach and look before you leap are of considerable antiquity, both having been traced to writings from ancient Greece.
A proverb of very recent vintage is the opera ain’t over until the fat lady sings, meaning “don’t concede defeat prematurely; don’t give up too soon.”
A mere linguistic infant, this expression gained national attention in 1978 when the San Antonio Spurs battled the Washington Bullets in the NBA playoffs. San Antonio sportswriter Dan Cook used the expression the opera ain’t over until the fat lady sings to encourage Spurs fans to hope for a victory. Some accounts say Cook coined the phrase as a parody of the cowboy proverb the rodeo ain’t over till the bull riders ride.
When the playoffs came to a close that year, and even though the Spurs lost, the “opera” phrase was fami...
Read the full transcript

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