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Topic starter
03/11/2023 1:30 pm
John Kuvakas
Warrenton, VA
03/11/2023 3:30 pm
Let's all hear it for 'the chances' ....
👍🙏
Tony Perrone and John Kuvakas reacted
03/11/2023 4:02 pm
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.
Graeme.M. Ogg
London U.K.
03/11/2023 5:45 pm
And you, Sir, perhaps have a 50-50 chance of being absolutely 100% correct.
Steve
Tony Perrone and John Kuvakas reacted
04/11/2023 7:40 am
I'm even willing to take those odds.
Graeme.M. Ogg
London U.K.
Steve Jacobs and Tony Perrone reacted
04/11/2023 8:05 am
Fat chance, slim chance. Honestly I could care less. I mean, I couldn't care less. LOL!
John Kuvakas and Steve Jacobs reacted
04/11/2023 10:00 am
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.
John Kuvakas and Steve Jacobs reacted
04/11/2023 10:55 am
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".
Graeme.M. Ogg
London U.K.