“Close, But No Cigar”
BIGBANG — “Tell Me Goodbye”
💭 Meaning
“Close, but no cigar” is used to describe an attempt that almost succeeded but ultimately fell short, i.e., it was close to the goal, but not quite good enough to count as a win.
✍️ Examples
Henry's student came incredibly close to the scholarship cutoff score: close, but no cigar.
The essay was well-written, but without a clear central theme, it was close, but no cigar.
The student thought she'd finished his supplemental essay, but after reading Henry's comments, it was clear she was close, but no cigar.
📜 Origin
The phrase is widely believed to trace back to early-to-mid 20th-century America, specifically to carnival midways and fairground games. During this era, cigars were a common prize for winning games of skill or strength (think ring toss, shooting galleries, or strongman “test your strength" machines with a bell at the top). Cigars were an appealing prize for adult audiences at the time, long before stuffed animals and plush toys became the standard carnival giveaway. When a player's attempt came agonizingly close to succeeding—nearly ringing the bell, nearly hitting the target—but ultimately fell just short, carnival barkers would use the phrase “close, but no cigar" to acknowledge the near-success while confirming that no prize would be awarded. The earliest documented print appearances of the phrase date to the 1930s, including references in American film and news writing, which helped cement it in the wider cultural vocabulary. By the mid-20th century, the phrase had fully transitioned from a literal carnival phrase into a widely used idiom for any near-miss or failed attempt that came tantalizingly close to succeeding.
