Close, but no cigar

Cultural Dictionary

Close, but no cigar definition


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.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Close, but no cigar is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Slang Dictionary

Close, but no cigar definition

[klos...]
  1. phr.
    Close, but not close enough to win a prize! : Close, but no cigar! Give it another try.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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