A fat chance
Meaning
A very small or nonexistent possibility of something happening, often used sarcastically.
Origin
The phrase 'a fat chance' weaponizes irony, using the word 'fat'—which usually means ample or substantial—to sarcastically denote the exact opposite: a complete lack of possibility. This clever linguistic inversion likely originated in American English during the late 19th century, a period rich with the development of pithy, sardonic idioms. Imagine a dismissive frontiersman or a cynical urbanite scoffing at an outlandish proposition, drawing out the word 'fat' to emphasize the utter impossibility. It's a verbal eye-roll, a quick and cutting way to convey that something simply isn't going to happen, delivering a punch of humor alongside the rejection.
Examples
- You think they're going to give us a raise this year? A fat chance of that happening!
- He promised to finish the entire project by morning, but with his track record, I'd say there's a fat chance.