Idiom
Close but no cigar
Close but no cigar means someone almost succeeded or nearly got the right answer, but not quite.
How people use it
People say it after a near miss: a guess that is almost right, a shot that hits the rim, a bid that falls just short. It is light and teasing, and in writing it often has a comma: "Close, but no cigar." It is informal and American in origin, though widely understood elsewhere. It works best for small, friendly failures like games, quizzes and guesses; said about a serious loss, it can sound careless or unkind.
Also said: close, but no cigar.
Examples
- Your guess was 200 and the answer was 203: close but no cigar.
- The ball hit the post in the final seconds, close but no cigar.
- Leo missed his best race time by one second; close, but no cigar.
Where it comes from
The phrase is American and dates from the early to middle 1900s. Fairground games of skill often handed out cigars as prizes, so a player who nearly won would hear that they were close but did not get the cigar. It appears in print by the 1930s and spread through films and radio. The fairground link is the standard explanation, though no single first use has been pinned down.
Check yourself
1. When does someone usually say "close but no cigar"?
Answer: After a near miss. The phrase is used when someone almost succeeds but falls just short.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: She guessed the jar held 500 beans; it held 510, so close but no cigar.. The idiom fits a near miss, not a clear win or an unrelated fact.
Word game fan? See every word hiding in CIGAR.