Fat chance
Meaning
This idiom is used to emphatically state that there is very little or no possibility of something happening.
Origin
“Fat chance” is a masterclass in ironic understatement, first recorded in late 19th-century American English. The brilliance of the phrase lies in its deliberate contradiction: “fat” typically implies abundance or a generous helping, yet when paired with “chance,” it signals precisely the opposite—a possibility so meager it might as well be nonexistent. This sarcastic reversal of fortune quickly caught on, offering a punchy, dismissive retort that left no room for doubt about the utter unlikelihood of an event, turning a seemingly positive adjective into a potent expression of utter impossibility.
Examples
- You think I'll lend you another fifty dollars after last time? Fat chance!
- The manager promised us a bonus this quarter, but with the company's performance, it's a fat chance we'll see any extra money.