[Idiom] CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR. - How to Handle Near Successes and Keep Trying

To nearly achieve success, but ultimately fail.

The phrase “close but no cigar” comes from old fairground games where cigars were prizes. If you were close to winning but didn’t succeed, you went away empty-handed, no cigar as a prize. It epitomizes those moments when you come tantalizingly close to success but don’t quite make it, serving as a common, somewhat playful, reminder to keep striving.

Example Sentences

1. He was close but no cigar on landing that job.

   He almost got the job he applied for but ultimately did not succeed.

2. She guessed the answer, close but no cigar.

   Her guess was nearly correct, but it was not exactly right.

3. In the talent show, his performance was close but no cigar compared to the winner.

   His performance was good but not good enough to win first place in the competition.