Week 46 - Challenger (€30k+H) - Jersey, CI

Count Zero · Tennis legend

RE: Week 46 - Challenger (€30k+H) - Jersey, CI

Count Zero · Tennis legend

actually its quite funny the thing some people miss out in life for one reason or another, but yet others take as an everyday thing.

a recent example my GF had never heard of apple sauce; we were at a restaurant with a buffet style carvery and it was pork with apple sauce and she looks at the gravy and asks me if that's the apple sauce (in front of the chef), so i have to point out that that's the gravy and the apple saucy is that greeny thing over they that looks like apples a bit mashed up

mjd · Challenger qualifying

'nice try, but no cigar'

Meaning

Fall just short of a successful outcome and get nothing for your efforts.

Origin

The phrase, and its variant 'nice try, but no cigar', are of US origin and date from the mid-20th century.
Fairground stalls gave out cigars as prizes, and this is the most likely source, although there's no definitive evidence to prove that.

indiana · Tennis legend

Stircrazy wrote:

steven wrote:

You must have heard that phrase before, haven't you?
No, I haven't. Is there there any reason why I should have? I think I'd have remembered something as ridiculous as that! *rolls eyes*

I assume Steven says this because like me he sees it as a pretty well known phrase.

But I think as Count says there must always be things that for whatever reason someone hasn't heard about like apple sauce lol.

It's no biggee smile

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Count Zero wrote:

Vandenburg wrote:
its not over till the fat lady sings!

i think this probably come from the old cabaret style stage shows* where the last act of the night was traditonaly the fat lady?? but there are many other phrases to say its not over till its over.
*this is a pure guess btw

And I'm afraid it's wrong: it originates in the world of opera & refers specifically, I believe, to Die Götterdämmerung (The twilight of the gods), the last in the tetralogy (= cycle/series of four operas) known as Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), composed by Richard Wagner & one of my favourites. The entire cycle lasts for something like 15 hours, usually spread over four nights, & Götterdämmerung accounts for about 6 of them! It ends with the immolation (i.e. she sets herself on fire) of what you might call the chief Valkyrie, Brünnhilde, who, because of the demands of the role tended in the past to be a little on the large side. That is far less often the case now, however... wink

Count Zero · Tennis legend

yeah i guess after 4 days of opera i'd quite like to be set on fire too

this thread is getting way off topic really isnt it, but it alls good.

hat's off to SC and MJD for upping the over knowledge level of the world!

The Hoose · Satellite level

Vandenburg wrote:

yeh i firmly beleive the best hope of another british top 100 player is ward,the others are close but no sigar.

The funny thing is, it turned out to be Ward who came close, with no cigar, today.

helki · Futures qualifying

So, one guy through to the QFs. evileye

Goody should be grateful to Slabba for dumping out the 4th seed.

What are his chances against Zib? We could do with a singles player going further in a home tournament. Otherwise, it'll be up to the doubles players. weirdface

Count Zero · Tennis legend

well you'd say he has a great chance, but Zib is no slouch it seems, having won 5 matches to get here, inc beating Flembo in the 1st Q rd.

but maybe his 32yr old bones are starting to feel the strain?

steven · Tennis legend

Poor Wardy - so close and yet so far. cry

Still, an impressive performance against a top 100 player, as long as he doesn't get into a habit of losing long t/bs!

Re. the fat lady, from another site - it could well fit in with Stircrazy's version:

"When I was young the phrase was: "It's not over till the fat lady dies." This was in reference to operas which had plump divas who sang the main roles and who invariably died at the end of the opera. The story is that a father took his child to the opera and the bored child kept asking when it would be over and the father answered: "It isn't over till the fat lady dies." This actually makes far more sense than the present usage which doesn't make sense at all: "It's not over till the fat lady sings." This is usually the beginning of the opera and not the end at all. How do you think it got changed? Why is the present pointless usage persisting?"

I'm not surprised the child was bored if his father took him to the Ring cycle! wink

mjd · Challenger qualifying

I suppose that "It's not over till the weight disadvantaged lady sings" doesn't have the same 'ring' to it and as for handing out cigars in public places .........!

indiana · Tennis legend

Wikipedia entry :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_ain't_over_'til_the_fat_lady_sings

Just like any Wikipedia stuff, don't take it all as gospel, but anyway...

-- Edited by indiana at 17:19, 2008-11-13

The Hoose · Satellite level

Talking of wikipedia, I see someone's cleaned up the Boggo page a bit - but they still end the piece on the "Bogdanovic is a complete nobody" quotation.

-- Edited by The Hoose at 17:23, 2008-11-13

Drew · Nov 13, 2008

Well done Josh and so close for Wardy....!

I sense a piece called 'Josh Goodall, British Number 2...a must for the Davis Cup' to appear in the times in the next few weeks

tennisfan334 · Lower Club Player

Fleming & Skupski beat (3)Perry & Kohlmann 4-6 6-1 10-8 biggrin

pretty sound result - pairing of the future??

bastl & zib defeated slabinsky & bamford - score unclear

flembo & skupski v bastl & zib semi

-- Edited by tennisfan334 at 19:33, 2008-11-13