Close, But No Cigar 🎯
This slangy Americanism dates from the first half of the twentieth century. It most likely came from the practice of giving a cigar as a prize to the winner of a contest, such as hitting the target in a carnival shooting gallery.
Related and Similar Terms:
- Almost doesn’t count: Close efforts that just don’t hit the mark.
- Missed it by a hair/breadth: Only marginally failed, very close to success.
- A hair’s breadth away: A very narrow miss, almost achieving the goal.
- Going down swinging: Putting in effort until the very end, even if unsuccessful.
Proverbs and Expressions:
- “A miss is as good as a mile.”: Regardless of how close, a miss is still a miss.
- “Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.”: Near misses don’t matter in most contexts.
- “So near and yet so far.”: Almost succeeded, but failed at the last moment.
- “Nearly doesn’t butter the parsnips.”: An amusing way to say that almost isn’t good enough.
Common Phrases:
- “Not quite there.”
- “On the verge.”
- “On the brink of.”
Humor-filled Quotes:
- “Almost only works in direct cartoons and nuclear festivities.”
- “Close only counts in dancing and darts, my friend.”
Synonyms:
- Near miss, narrow miss, close call, near escape
Antonyms:
- Bullseye, hit, direct strike, exact success
References in Literature, Movies, and Music:
- “It’s Not About The Bike” by Lance Armstrong – Even close, mighty efforts are hugely impactful works.
- The movie “The Pursuit of Happyness” – A journey marked by many “Close, but no cigar” moments towards success.
- The song “No Doubt” by AJR – Discusses trying many times and only narrowly missing the mark.
Inspirational Thought: “True greatness often lies in the effort rather than the achievement. Every subsequent ‘close, but no cigar’ gets you a step nearer to the ultimate prize. Don’t stop firing just because you missed the bullseye. Aim again and strike your victory.” 🎯✨
Quizzes:
### Which phrase correctly denotes a near miss?
- [x] Close, but no cigar
- [ ] Eating the last donut
- [ ] Flying with bricks
- [ ] Swimming with sour corks
> **Explanation:** "Close, but no cigar" explains an instance of almost achieving something but not quite there. The other options are playful fabrications.
### Which expression implies an almost success?
- [ ] Baking with rain tarts
- [x] Missed it by a hair
- [ ] Running with ropes
- [ ] Jumping with joyful cans
> **Explanation:** "Missed it by a hair" suggests a very marginal failure. The others are purely whimsical.
### True or False: ‘A miss is as good as a mile’ means a narrow miss is still a miss.
- [x] True
- [ ] False
> **Explanation:** True! This phrase underscores that regardless of how close you came, a miss is still a miss in the end.
