it's not over 'til the fat lady sings

A form of it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings — There are more developments yet to come; one should not presume to know the outcome of an event which is still in progress.

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Meanings

proverb
  1. alternativeAlternative form of it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings.

    “I figure between fifteen and seventeen hours. She’s already coming out of rigor.” / Dina did a fast calculation. “So that would be somewhere between four and six p.m. yesterday.” / “Don’t count your chicks, Lieutenant. It’s not over ’til the fat lady sings.” / “I’m approximating. Cause?”

    1988, Jack Early [pseudonym; Sandra Scoppettone], chapter 2, in Donato & Daughter, New York, N.Y.: E. P. Dutton, →ISBN, page 15
    2 more examples

    She didn’t remember the rest of the auditions. They passed in a haze of certain failure. Finally, the ordeal was over. Barri couldn’t get out of the auditorium fast enough! As she and Melanie started for the doors, Joel caught up with them. Noticing Barri’s glum expression, he slung his arms around Barri’s and Melanie’s shoulders. “It’s not over ’til the fat lady sings,” he reminded them. “She just did,” Barri replied sadly, “only she was wearing a disguise and looked like a tall, thin, beautiful redhead.”

    1991, Ellen Ashley, chapter 9, in Understudy (Center Stage; 3), New York, N.Y.: Fawcett Girls Only, →ISBN, pages 135–136

    "There's hundreds of them out there!" he hissed "And they've got a battering ram! We're done for!" Sera bit her lip. Then she came to a decision. "It's not over 'til the fat lady sings!" she shouted gathering up her dwarven artefacts. "Or until the fat lady doesn't get reinforcements and gets stepped on by a giant, in my case! Here, take a weapon or two."

    2011, Alicia L. Wright, “Ragnarok”, in Eggs, Butter, Sugar and Disaster, Coulsdon, Croydon: Tannbourne, →ISBN, page 233
Cite this entry
APA

it's not over 'til the fat lady sings. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/it's%20not%20over%20'til%20the%20fat%20lady%20sings

MLA

“it's not over 'til the fat lady sings.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/it's%20not%20over%20'til%20the%20fat%20lady%20sings. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “it's not over 'til the fat lady sings,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/it's%20not%20over%20'til%20the%20fat%20lady%20sings.

Source: it's not over 'til the fat lady sings on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.