Close but no Cigar

What it means

A near miss that earns nothing, said with more amusement than sympathy.

Where it comes from

Fairground stalls and slot machines once handed out cigars as prizes, so the loser heard exactly this. The phrase turns up in American print in the 1930s, as those prizes were fading.

The puzzle it came from

Close but no Cigar was the answer to the Phrasicle of August 25, 2025. The clue read ____ but no ____, and the words came out of a grid where every neighbouring pair makes a two-word phrase.

Play today's Phrasicle Play the August 25, 2025 puzzle