And we teach you how to use them . Today , we talk about a famous character from a classic Disney fairy tale -- Cinderella . In American English , Cinderella's story gives us several expressions . Little girls all over the United States love Cinderella . But she is not an American creation – far from it . Cultures all over the world have their own version of this story . In Europe alone , scholars have found more than 500 versions of the Cinderella story . Many of them are much older than Disney's Cinderella which comes from a 1690s French story . So , what is so special about Cinderella ? Why has this character been around for so long and in so many different places ? Well , Cinderella is good , kind and very beautiful . But she must overcome a bad situation . See , she has a really terrible family . In case you don't know the story , Cinderella lives with her evil stepmother and two awful stepsisters . They hate Cinderella . They keep her locked away and force her to clean and cook for them . Then , the handsome prince invites all the women in the kingdom to a ball , or formal dance . He is looking for a woman to marry . The last thing the evil stepmother and stepsisters want is for Cinderella to meet the prince . So , they do everything they can to prevent Cinderella from going to the ball . However , Cinderella has a protector -- a fairy godmother . But here's the trick -- the magic does not last all night . Cinderella must leave the ball before midnight . That is when the magic ends and everything turns back to the way it was , including Cinderella . This is where we get our first expression . A "magic wand " means something that will solve all problems . But we often use it in the negative . So in conversation , you could say , “There is not a magic wand that can solve all the problems facing society .” Our next expression is turning into a pumpkin like Cinderella's horse-drawn coach . To turn into a pumpkin means you must return home or go to bed due to the late hour of the night . So , if you're out with friends and it's late , you can say , “I have to go home before I turn into a pumpkin !” And that brings us to another term from this Disney classic -- “fairy godmother .” She is someone who looks after you . She even seems to have magical powers to make everything better . For example , let's say I am having a really bad week . My kitchen sink is clogged , my car breaks down and I am having trouble at work with a project . My friend Madeline comes to my apartment , fixes my sink , drives me to and from work and helps me organize my project . I can say to her , “Thanks so much for all your help . You have been my fairy godmother !” But now , let's get back to Cinderella . It's true that the story is about a young woman finding her prince while wearing a beautiful gown . But now , the expression “Cinderella story ” is used mostly for sports ! In sports , a Cinderella story is when the underdog wins the game , usually in a dramatic way . The underdog is a person or team that is not expected to win . It is good to note that the word “underdog ” can be used in any situation . A Cinderella story is also called an “upset .” Usually , the word “upset ” means to be troubled . But when used as a noun , an upset is when something happens that no one was expecting . According to several sports websites , there have been many dramatic Cinderella stories . Here are just a few : At least one character gets what he or she wants after a long period of suffering . In sports , a “fairy tale ending ” happens when someone wins in the most dramatic , lucky or fortunate way imaginable . And that's a good thing . But we also use this term in the negative . To say something didn't have a fairy tale ending means that nothing ended well . If you suffered through this program but still learned something , you can call this a fairy tale ending . Otherwise , we'll just end happily ever after !