Have you ever heard the phrase and wondered where it came from? I did, so I set about looking into it.
“Close, but no cigar” quite simple means you almost succeeded, but didnt quite get there.
It is used when someone comes very near to achieving something, such as giving the right answer, or having a decent attempt at the task in hand, but ultimately still fell slightly short of what was needed.
Examples:
- “You guessed 9 out of 10 correctly—close, but no cigar.”
- “That solution almost works, but there’s a small bug. Close, but no cigar.”
Origin (briefly):
The phrase comes from old carnival games where cigars were given as prizes. If you nearly won but didn’t quite meet the requirement, you were close—but you didn’t get the cigar.
Tone:
Normally used in a casual or mildly teasing, not harsh way.
