Close but No Cigar.
English
idiom
Used to say that someone almost achieved success, but their effort was not sufficient to achieve the goal.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
Used to say that someone almost achieved success, but their effort was not sufficient to achieve the goal.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To come very close to succeeding but ultimately fall just short.
When something is close but no cigar, the attempt was good but not quite good enough.
It's used when someone narrowly misses a goal, prize, or target despite making a strong effort.
"Almost There"
—
An encouraging expression meaning you're very close to finishing
"Good Enough"
—
Acceptable without being excellent or quite perfect
"Close but No Cigar"
—
Coming very close to success but ultimately not quite making it
Did the proposal land — are we moving forward?
Close but no cigar — they liked the concept but want lower pricing.
I got to the final interview round but they went with someone else.
Close but no cigar — what did they say in the feedback?
I guessed 347 jellybeans and the actual number was 350.
Close but no cigar — still, that's impressively close.
