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The phrase "fat chance" can be used as a way of sarcastically describing the impossibility of something, but where did it originate from? I've googled it several times, and it always comes up with the definition, not the origin.

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My guess would be that it's either sarcasm, implying it has an extremely slim chance of happening. Or it's implying that it would take an extremely large chance happening to occur. I hope you get a good answer. – Wayne May 18 '11 at 1:30
See also fat lot of good: english.stackexchange.com/a/47296/9001 – Hugo Oct 27 '12 at 10:13

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I believe this simply derives from one sense of the word fat:

fat 2a well filled out : of sizable proportions : THICK <a ~ letter> <a ~ volume of verse> : BIG <a resistor spark plug ... permits a wider gap, thus a fatter hotter spark — Newsweek> : unusually large <he had to pay a ~ price to move his factory — Martin Turnell> [Websters 3rd New Int'l Dictionary]

The term is used ironically. At face value it means there is a large chance of something happening, but underneath it really means there is a slim chance after all.

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