If this is true, then you can picture the person in charge of a carnival game shouting ‘close, but no cigar’ to the players who were just shy of winning the prize. Definition of close, but no cigar —used to say that a guess was almost correct or that an effort was almost sufficient Quick: What country jails the most journalists? All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only.



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The expression, “Close, but no cigar” means that a person fell slightly short of a successful outcome and therefore gets no reward.

Add the power of Cambridge Dictionary to your website using our free search box widgets.Browse our dictionary apps today and ensure you are never again lost for words. The expression 'close but no cigar' is used to indicate that someone has fallen just short of a successful outcome and failed to secure any reward.

Then later, this carnival-based phrase went on to become the expression it is today. 差一點就要成功的…

Dictionary 差一点就要成功的… I got second place.





It goes back to at least 1934.



If someone almost succeeds – but not quite – you can say to them 'close, but no cigar.'

in Chinese (Traditional) The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word.

in Chinese (Simplified)









If you guessed China, you were close, but no cigar.

Jane: Close, but no cigar. Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English

Music video by Weird Al Yankovic performing Close But No Cigar The phrase, and its variant 'nice try, but no cigar', are of US origin and date from the mid-20th century.

A phrase said when one is almost correct or successful but ultimately fails. Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English

Here are some examples.







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If you say that someone is grown up, you mean that they are an adult or that they behave in a responsible way. Click on the arrows to change the translation direction.

Cigars were once commonly used as prizes or awards.







English





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