Close But No Cigar
Meaning: When someone has fallen just short of a win or a successful outcome and thus didn’t get the prize or award.
Origin: This phrase, and its alternative “nice try, but no cigar”, are American sayings that date back to the mid-to late-1800s. Fairground stalls would give out cigars as prizes.
Source: Imgur
These days, carnival games give out stuffed animals as prizes, but in the 19th century, the games were actually meant for adults, not kids. Winners typically got a cigar if they won. If they almost won, they’d be “close, but no cigar.” By the 1930s, the phrase went beyond the carnival to everyday close shots.