close, but no cigar

English

Etymology

From the practice of giving cigars as prizes at carnivals in the US in the 19th century; this phrase would be said to those who failed to win a prize.

Adjective

close, but no cigar

1. (idiomatic) that's almost correct, but not quite

Translations

that's almost correct, but not quite

Chinese: Mandarin: 功虧一簣 (cmn), 功亏一篑 (cmn) (gōng kuī yī kuì) Danish: lige ved og næsten slår ingen mand af hesten (da) Finnish: melkein on metri maalista (fi) French: presque réussi, mais raté (fr)

German: knapp daneben ist auch vorbei (de). Norwegian: nesten skyter ingen mann av hesten (no) Russian: почти не считается (ru) (počtí ne sčitájetsja) Swedish: nära skjuter ingen hare (sv)