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Close, but no cigar |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.06 sec. |
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Close, but no cigar. Cliché Some effort came close to succeeding, but did not succeed. (Alludes to not quite winning a cigar as a prize.) Jill: How did you do in the contest? Jane: Close, but no cigar. I got second place. See also: but Close, but no cigar. (American & Australian humorous) something that you say to someone if what they tell you or what they do is nearly correct but not completely Usage notes: A cigar (= a type of thick cigarette) was sometimes used as a prize in games and competitions people paid to play. 'Is his name Howard?' 'Close, but no cigar. It's Harold.' See also: but close, but no cigar almost but not exactly what you had hoped for or wanted Vince never got that big win he wanted - it was always close but no cigar. Etymology: from games of skill or chance in which the person who won would get a cigar as a prize See also: but How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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