<P> It ain't over till (or until) the fat lady sings is a colloquialism which is often used as a proverb . It means that one should not presume to know the outcome of an event which is still in progress . More specifically, the phrase is used when a situation is (or appears to be) nearing its conclusion . It cautions against assuming that the current state of an event is irreversible and clearly determines how or when the event will end . The phrase is most commonly used in association with organized competitions, particularly sports . </P> <P> The phrase is generally understood to be referencing the stereotypically overweight sopranos of the opera . The imagery of Richard Wagner's opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen and its last part, Götterdämmerung, is typically the one used in depictions accompanying reference to the phrase . The "fat lady" is the valkyrie Brünnhilde, who is traditionally presented as a very buxom lady with horned helmet, spear and round shield (although Amalie Materna played Brünnhilde during Wagner's lifetime (1876) with a winged helmet). Her farewell scene lasts almost twenty minutes and leads directly to the finale of the whole Ring Cycle . As Götterdämmerung is about the end of the world (or at least the world of the Norse gods), in a very significant way "it is (all) over when the fat lady sings ." </P> <P> The saying has become so well known that it was the subject of an article in the journal Obesity Reviews . </P>

Who coined the phrase it ain't over til the fat lady sings