This is a commonly used expression, particularly among the older generation. It is used in an informal setting and although it may appear to be it is not in fact an insult.
Meaning
This expression is used as another way of saying “no chance.” It is often used in situations when someone is pushing their luck and asking for more than is necessary and thus when asking for something else they are told “fat chance.” Interestingly the English phrase “slim chance” has a similar meaning with only a slightly different undertone despite sounding as though it should mean the opposite.
Etymology
The expression has no definite origin or first usage. It is suggested that the phrase “slim chance” was used first in the very literal sense of meaning “little or no chance.” However it was felt that a phrase was needed to be used in a more sarcastic context and thus the opposite of “slim” was employed.
Example
An example of the usage of this expression can be found in the title of an article from The Science Bit which reads “chocolate keeps you thin? Fat chance!” This is an article written in response to an article published on the BBC news website which claimed that eating chocolate could help people stay slim. The article completely refutes all arguments made that chocolate could help people manage their weight and therefore the term “fat chance” is used in order to create a sarcastic tone.
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Should I be pleased to be described as “the laughing stock?”
publié le 4 June
Have you ever been described as "the laughing stock?" Do you want to know if this is a compliment or not? If this is the case then keep reading and th...
What does it mean if something happens at “the eleventh hour?”
publié le 2 June
The English idiom, "at the eleventh hour" is often used in conversation. It can seem rather confusing if you do not have prior knowledge of what it me...
This English expression is very commonly used, particularly in general day-to-day conversation. If you want to find out when and how to use it, read t...
This English idiom is fairly commonly used particularly in spoken language. It is used as a metaphor although the origins of the expression relate literally to the “kicking of a bucket.”
Meaning
The expression is used to mean that someone has died. It should only be used in informal situations as it is considered as slang.
Etymology
There is no consensus on the origin of this expression although one suggestion is that it dates back to the times when executions were commonplace and hangings were a frequently used way of carrying these out; thus to kick the bucket meant to condemn that person to death. The first recorded usage of this expression comes from The Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue of 1785 which defines the expression as “to die.” Another theory is that it derives from the fact that the “bucket” refers to the beam from which pigs hang and are slaughtered. This usage of the expression can be found in William Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part II which reads “swifter than he that gibbets on the Brewers Bucket.”
Example
An example of the usage of this expression can be found in a quote by Dame Maggie Smith “Listen, I must be 110 by now. Granny is going to kick the bucket at some point.”
Ne ratez pas
Should I be pleased to be described as “the laughing stock?”
publié le 4 June
Have you ever been described as "the laughing stock?" Do you want to know if this is a compliment or not? If this is the case then keep reading and th...
What does it mean if something happens at “the eleventh hour?”
publié le 2 June
The English idiom, "at the eleventh hour" is often used in conversation. It can seem rather confusing if you do not have prior knowledge of what it me...
This English expression is very commonly used, particularly in general day-to-day conversation. If you want to find out when and how to use it, read t...
This English expression is fairly commonly used in written and spoken English though is a little outdated.
Meaning
The idiom is used to denote the act of taking the credit for something which somebody else did. It is used to suggest the taking of someone’s ideas for a personal advantage.
Etymology
The idiom has a theatrical origin in that it was first coined by playwright John Dennis. He created a new way for the sound of thunder to be produced during his play Appius and Virginia but ultimately this play failed. After the failure of this play it is reported that he went to see a production of Macbeth in which they had copied his method of producing the sound of thunder and thus he is quoted in the 1893 publication Literary Curiosities to have said “Damn them! They will not let my play run, but they steal my thunder.”
Example
An example of the usage of this expression can be found in a quote by author of The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson, Jerome Charyn who stated “Some readers may be disturbed that I wrote ‘The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson’ in Emily’s own voice. I wasn’t trying to steal her thunder or her music. I simply wanted to imagine my way into the head and heart of Emily Dickinson.”
Ne ratez pas
Should I be pleased to be described as “the laughing stock?”
publié le 4 June
Have you ever been described as "the laughing stock?" Do you want to know if this is a compliment or not? If this is the case then keep reading and th...
What does it mean if something happens at “the eleventh hour?”
publié le 2 June
The English idiom, "at the eleventh hour" is often used in conversation. It can seem rather confusing if you do not have prior knowledge of what it me...
This English expression is very commonly used, particularly in general day-to-day conversation. If you want to find out when and how to use it, read t...
This English expression is used much more commonly in American English as this is where it has its roots. It is however used in British English as an “imported expression” from the US.
Meaning
The expression is used to mean that everything which could have been done has been. Generally if someone is told that they have “gone the whole nine yards” it is taken as a huge compliment and means that this person has really pulled out all the stops and has left no stones unturned.
Etymology
There is no consensus on the origins of this expression but the first recorded usage dates back to 1906 in a copy of the Indiana newspaper The Mitchell Commercial which wrote “The regular nine is going to play the business men as many innings as they can stand, but we can not promise the full nine yards.”
It is suggested that the expression is linked to World War II and the fact that aircraft machine gun belts were 9 yards in length and thus “going the whole nine yards” meant to do everything possible and use up all possible resources in order to beat the enemy.
Example
An example of this expression can be found in Elaine Shepard’s Vietnam War novel The Doom Pussy, published in 1967. The quote reads “slipping out of the knot was expensive but Smith was eventually able to untangle what he called the whole nine yards.”
Ne ratez pas
Should I be pleased to be described as “the laughing stock?”
publié le 4 June
Have you ever been described as "the laughing stock?" Do you want to know if this is a compliment or not? If this is the case then keep reading and th...
What does it mean if something happens at “the eleventh hour?”
publié le 2 June
The English idiom, "at the eleventh hour" is often used in conversation. It can seem rather confusing if you do not have prior knowledge of what it me...
This English expression is very commonly used, particularly in general day-to-day conversation. If you want to find out when and how to use it, read t...
