Chances Fat and Slim

Chances Fat and Slim Chances Fat and Slim Chances Fat and Slim By Maeve Maddox A reader wonders about two expressions: For many years I’ve wondered about Fat Chance and Slim Chance – both meaning â€Å"little chance,† but where’d they come from? The Ngram Viewer indicates that â€Å"slim chance† came along about eighty years earlier than â€Å"fat chance† and that â€Å"slim chance† is far more common in print than â€Å"fat chance.† A Google search shows the expressions in about equal use on the Web. One meaning of slim is â€Å"thin† or â€Å"slender,† but its meaning in â€Å"slim chance† is â€Å"meager, scanty, sparse.† I’d guess that the expression â€Å"fat chance† originated as a play on words. Both expressions are popular in titles for books and articles that have something to do with obesity or fitness. Slim Chance, Fat Hope: Societys Obsession With Thinness Slim Chance in a Fat World Fat Chance! The Weight Loss Workbook â€Å"Obese People Have Slim Chance of Obtaining Normal Body Weight† â€Å"Critics say mesotherapy offers slim chance† â€Å"Why dieters have fat chance of losing weight† Although many speakers share the reader’s idea that both expressions mean the same thing, the two have different meanings. If there’s a â€Å"slim chance† that something will happen, then there is a possibility, albeit a small one. That’s the meaning in this headline about the current movement of migrants: How much for a spot on a rubber raft and a slim chance at a better life?† â€Å"Fat chance† is an ironic way of saying there’s no chance at all, as in this exchange between a woman and a former boyfriend: I was just wondering - † â€Å" - if Id  come back to you  now?  Fat chance. Forget it.†    Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:45 Synonyms for â€Å"Food†50 Latin Phrases You Should KnowDrama vs. Melodrama