Rasoul from Mashad, Iran, writes to ask why in English the phrase fat chance actually means “little or no chance” — a slim chance, in other words. Fat chance is an ironic usage, much like the phrase big deal which is often used to mean just the opposite of itself. This is part of a complete episode.
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Is “fat chance” really the same as “big deal” and “smart move”? The latter two can be positive or negative depending on tone, but was “fat chance” ever really used to mean “a good chance”?