Ironic or confusing?

Let's all hear it for 'the chances' ....

👍🙏

A linguistic pedant replies . . .

Ironically (and confusingly) if you look for articles on the origin and meaning of "fat chance" you'll find it originally meant "a very good chance" (e.g. "gold miners in California have a very fat chance of getting rich" or "The Orioles have a fat chance of winning the championship this season" and in the context of the quotes it obviously meant "a pretty fair chance" rather than "no hope"). How it came to be used ironically to mean "very little chance" is a matter of debate.

And you, Sir, perhaps have a 50-50 chance of being absolutely 100% correct. 

Steve 

I'm even willing to take those odds.

Fat chance, slim chance. Honestly I could care less. I mean, I couldn't care less. LOL!

Posted by: @graeme-ogg

A linguistic pedant replies . . .

Ironically (and confusingly) if you look for articles on the origin and meaning of "fat chance" you'll find it originally meant "a very good chance" (e.g. "gold miners in California have a very fat chance of getting rich" or "The Orioles have a fat chance of winning the championship this season" and in the context of the quotes it obviously meant "a pretty fair chance" rather than "no hope"). How it came to be used ironically to mean "very little chance" is a matter of debate.

This makes much more sense to me Graeme.  I suppose if a person responded with "fat chance" using a very sarcastic tone then that might explain how the change evolved over time.

Posted by: @perrone1

Fat chance, slim chance. Honestly I could care less. I mean, I couldn't care less. LOL!

Or as the old joke has it . . .

- "Are you plain ignorant or just apathetic?"

- "I don't know, and I don't care".