Das Hueftgold von Bruenhild ist mir mehr als Rheingold wert ... "
Guehnter
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Hueftgold
Learn a funny, quirky German word each week with DW's Word of the Week feature. This week: Hueftgold.
Who does "hip gold" make you think of? Perhaps Heidi Klum, Claudia Schiffer, and Gisela Buendchen -- after all, their hips are worth far more than their quite minimal weight in gold. Actually, though, "Hueftgold" is a friendly way of referring to the extra kilos most non-models carry on their hips -- thanks to the foods that Heidi and Co. have to stay away from if they want to keep their high-paying jobs: yummy treats like ice cream, pizza, and chips are pure "Hueftgold." We're assuming that Heidi just licked the French fry and didn't swallow it.
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Das Rheingold ist eine Oper von Richard Wagner und bildet zusammen mit den folgenden drei Musikdramen Die Walküre, Siegfried und Götterdämmerung das Gesamtwerk (die Tetralogie) Der Ring des Nibelungen. Beim Ring des Nibelungen handelt es sich um ein „Bühnenfestspiel für drei Tage und einen Vorabend“. Das Rheingold ist das kürzeste der vier Werke (ca. 2 1/2 Stunden) und wird ohne Pause aufgeführt. Die Uraufführung fand am 22. September 1869 im Königlichen Hof- und Nationaltheater München unter der Leitung von Franz Wüllner und gegen den Willen Wagners statt. Mit einer Aufführung vom Rheingold wurden die ersten Bayreuther Festspiele am 13. August 1876 eröffnet.
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Br;nhild tr;gt im Nibelungenlied wesentlich zur Entwicklung der Handlung bis zu Siegfrieds Tod bei, verschwindet dann bis auf zwei kleinere Erw;hnungen g;nzlich aus dem Epos. Erst in der Klage, die eine Art Fortsetzung des Nibelungenliedes darstellt, tritt sie wieder auf, als man ihr den Tod Gunthers meldet. Ihre Figur wird immer mehr in einen h;fischen Kontext gedr;ngt, man k;nnte sogar sagen, sie w;rde innerhalb desselben gez;hmt. In der Klage ist nichts mehr von der Wildheit einer kriegerischen K;nigin zu sp;ren.
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It ain't over till the fat lady sings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amalie Materna as the valkyrie Bruennhilde (1876)
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.
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, Goetterdaemmerung, is typically the one used in depictions accompanying reference to the phrase. The "fat lady" is the valkyrie Bruennhilde, who is traditionally presented as a very buxom lady with horned helmet, spear and round shield (although Amalie Materna played Br;nnhilde 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 Goetterd;mmerung 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."
The saying has become so well known that it was the subject of an article in the journal Obesity Reviews.
Attribution
The first recorded use appeared in the Dallas Morning News on 10 March 1976:[3]
Despite his obvious allegiance to the Red Raiders, Texas Tech sports information director Ralph Carpenter was the picture of professional objectivity when the Aggies rallied for a 72–72 tie late in the SWC tournament finals. "Hey, Ralph," said Bill Morgan, "this... is going to be a tight one after all." "Right", said Ralph, "the opera ain’t over until the fat lady sings."
In the same newspaper on 26 November 2006, Steve Blow followed up the discovery by contacting Bill Morgan about the incident:[4]
Bill vividly remembers the comment and the uproar it caused throughout the press box. He always assumed it was coined on the spot. "Oh, yeah, it was vintage Carpenter. He was one of the world’s funniest guys," said Bill, a contender for that title himself.
The 1976 use of the phrase was discovered by Fred R. Shapiro, who published it in The Yale Book of Quotations. It had previously been attributed to sportswriter and broadcaster Dan Cook, who used the phrase after the first basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Washington Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) during the 1978 NBA Playoffs. Cook used the line to illustrate that while the Spurs had won once, the series was not over yet.[5] Shapiro called this a notable example of misattribution.
Phrases with similar meanings[edit]
"It ain't over till it's over", a phrase popularized by baseball player Yogi Berra.
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch", a well-known saying which originated in the 16th century.
"Nothing is carved in stone", a phrase meaning that the future can always be changed
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Who first said: "It ain't over 'till the fat lady sings"?
Halmshaw, Ferriby, UK
I have heard this attributed to Sam Goldwyn. As for the fat lady, I've no idea who she was or what she was singing.
Alasdair Patrick, Dana Point, California, USA
The saying comes from baseball - I think from one of the New York stadiums (possibly the Brooklyn Dodgers' home) in the inter-war period. It comes quite simply from the fact that a rather fat, older, female fan used to start singing at the end of every game. So the game wasn't over till the fat lady sang.
Norman Ross, Dublin, Ireland
The correct expression is that; "the opera ain't over till the fat lady sings." It is said that this expression was first used by a sports writer, Dan Cook, writing for the San Antonio News-Express, Texas, round about the year 1976. Dan Cook doubled up as a sporting commentator for KENS-TV and repeated the line in an attempt to raise the fortunes of the local basketball team, the San Antonio Spurs in a series against the Washington Bullets in 1978. This was to no avail because the Spurs lost. However, the bullets' coach, Dick Motta, took up the phrase as a caution to fans for overconfidence. From there on it came into general use.
Hollingworth, Blagnac, France
The fat lady.
Daniel Morgan, Boston US
My great-grandfather, Mervyn C.Grover (better known in the opera world as Nifty Grover III,) claims this phrase was started up by the stage hands in New York opera houses, but was incorrectly claimed by theater owners when picked up on by a journalist.
Monty Grover, Eslie, Idaho
With respect, I have long understood the saying to come from the fact that Bessie Smith always sang "America the Beautiful" at a major game -- ie: the event was not complete without Miss Smith's contribution.
David Small, Melbourne, Australia
It is a misquotation from the coach of an all-deaf baseball team who said "it ain't over till the fat lady signs" but this still doesn't answer who the fat lady was.
Simon Rake, Totnes, Devon
The way I heard it was that in the twenties Al Capone developed a taste for opera, mugging up assiduously on recordings, and one night went to a live performance of Tosca, accompanied by two bodyguards. These gents, who hadn't done the same homework as Al, got up to go at the end of the first aria, only for Al to drag them back into their seats, snarling ... you guessed it.
Mark Power, Dublin Ireland
Tha fat lady in question is not from Baseball, America is not the centre of the Universe. That said, the fat lady in question is the bird that sings The Valkyrie at the end of Verdi's opera.
Mr H, Glasgow
I have always been told that the originator of this was baseball's Yogi Berra, also credited with "It ain't over till it's over" and "90% of the game is one half mental". As I type this though, I realize that I have probably been told wrong, since surely Yogi never attended an opera in his life.
Brandon Thornburg, Portland, OR(formerly Poynton, Cheshire) USA
The phrase relates to Tristan who, having travelled through fire, death and climbing a mountain finally meets the mighty Brunhilde, whose singing he has to listen to before he can make love to her.
Stuart Goodacre, Lincoln UK
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Church ain't out till they quit singing