<P> The 1976 use of the phrase was discovered by Fred R. Shapiro, who published it in The Yale Book of Quotations . It had previously been attributed to sportswriter and broadcaster Dan Cook, who used the phrase after the first basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Washington Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) during the 1978 NBA Playoffs . Cook used the line to illustrate that while the Spurs had won once, the series was not over yet . Shapiro called this a notable example of misattribution . </P> <Ul> <Li> "It ain't over till it's over", a phrase popularized by baseball player Yogi Berra . </Li> <Li> "Don't count your chickens before they hatch", a well - known saying which originated in the 16th century . </Li> <Li> "Nothing is carved in stone", a phrase meaning that the future can always be changed . </Li> </Ul> <Li> "It ain't over till it's over", a phrase popularized by baseball player Yogi Berra . </Li> <Li> "Don't count your chickens before they hatch", a well - known saying which originated in the 16th century . </Li>

Where did the expression it's not over till the fat lady sings