Close, but no cigar
Even a near miss is still a miss. The saying probably originated with carnival contests in which a cigar was the prize for hitting a target.
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Close, but no cigar
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close but no cigar
close but no cigarA narrowly missed success, as in That ball was definitely out—close but no cigar. This interjection alludes to awarding a cigar to the winner of some competition, such as hitting a target. [Slang; early 1900s]
Close, but no cigar
Cultural
close but no cigar
Idioms
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Yet as the aforementioned actress might have said over the years after the Oscar ceremony, Close but no cigar.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 26, 2023
Close but no cigar for Gavrilova this time.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 10, 2021
Sept. 6-10: Close but no cigar at Aronimink An opening-round 62 ties for the lead as petitions are immediately filed for Aronimink to host the next 20 U.S.
From Golf Digest ● Dec. 14, 2018
Close, but no cigar for the Caps: A beautiful pass from T.J.
From Washington Post ● May 19, 2018
Close, but no cigar for the Bursaspor man.
From BBC ● May 29, 2011
It’s been close, but close but no cigar, so I’m going to keep working and try to get it one day.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 29, 2023
They’ve made it to the NFC championship game four times since — close but no cigar probably gets pretty old after a while, especially with an all-time great at quarterback.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2023
Since then, it’s been close but no cigar for the Tigers despite winning 10 games in the rugged Atlantic Coast Conference and had a first-team all-ACC performer in both 2014 and 2016.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 24, 2016
A two-point World Cup semi-final defeat by the eventual champions New Zealand was close but no cigar.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2016
Musk described the attempted rocket landing last weekend as "close, but no cigar" — but this assessment doesn't really do these images justice.
From The Verge ● Jan. 16, 2015
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
